PAYSHUNTZ!

this week was so great!

juan, our investigador with a pretty rough backround, told us that he wants to move his baptismal fecha up. we saw him again on sunday and he said how he sees how much he has changed, and that when he gets tempted he just opens up to the scriptures. he asked us for another copy of the book of mormon to give to his friend, and he also wants another copy of the bible to give out as well. Juan, seriously, just makes me so happy, i almost cant believe how much he has progress. hermana guillen have seen him change and repent right before our eyes, and it makes me so proud.the only thing is we think he might need an interview with the misison president, and i know he doesnt like to wait. chill out juan, tranquilo hombre. 

we visited claudia (an inactive member) and we thought we lost this family. they were sealed in the temple, and now turned away from the church. claudia told us she stated going to another church, and i felt pretty sad bcause they were sealed in the temple, that isnt just something to turn away from. well, we went wednesday night and i just asked her how her new church was and if they take the Sacrament. she was puzzled and said no, and then we started the lesson about el espiritu santo, and in the middle she asked us "what do you both think about evangelicals?" i told her how i felt, because i was evangelical, and i even mentioned how dad was going to be a pastor. i love evangelicals, so whatever. wel, then she just changes her look on the face and blurts out that she feels so confused because her church doesnt have the sacrament, and she knows that it is a commandment to take the bread and wine in memory of Christ. Well, we got her back! she is reading the bok of mormon again, and she is praying. weve been teaching out of the bible to her, and when we mention the book of Mormon and use it in lessons, she doesnt get upset. I think they will need time, but i know they will come back!some patiene and time .

I did divisions with the sisters from Lomas, and the sister did great. she has finish her training, and she is a great missionary. we found a new investigador and put a baptismal fecha with her! It was awesome. i also did divisions with the sister from los Olivos. the sister i went with is actually the mision nurse. i love this hermana so much, i can truly see that she works with her heart. she did great.  we had an evocative conversation, and i could feel the love she has for her area and her frustration. i love divisions! I learn so much!

take care and have a great week!

con carino, 

 hermana Ramirez

Mom, pops, this week was sweet. i just figured i'd warn you

i feel like i am converting myself more and more everyday. 

We visited an inactive member and her famiy. we met her husband, who is not a member. they love us, the whole family. the husband drinks, and he feels bad about it, and he almost cried telling us about why he drinks. they dont have much income, and the wife(member) is sick and needs an operation. they put the goal to pray as a family, and they are doing it!

hey, i realized i don't have time. 

im so bad at writing you like i used to. im sorry. i'll write a letter and send it!

i love the Lord. I feel like this week has helped me to grow more and more. I love to contact peolpe, i feel likei am fulfilling my purpose at a missionary when i street contact. 

Take care. Please read alma 36. 

i know Christ lives, and i know this because I see His hands in my life. 

hermana Ramirez

Climb Every Mountain

Mom and Pop,

 let me tell you of the adventure we had last pday! We climbed a mountain! WE went with our district to climb a mountain in Palencia! I was so gorgeous! It took us forever to climb up that darn thing, but it was so worth it. vale la pena, de verdad. it was at an incline of probablyabout 55-60 degrees. it was a bit tough because we were going for a while. we also got a bit lost, but we asked for help, and luckily we werent taken captive. a bunch of lost gringos... we were fine. we passed these little girls who lived up there, and i asked to take a picture of them, and they let me. there are these little pueblos up there, and it looks like something out of a movie, of these little farms stuck up in a mountain. 

the most interesting part was coming down the mountain. well, all of us nine missionaries were coming down and one of the hermanas fell. she busted up the leg super bad, to the point where she is still using crutches right now. she cant go out and work, and its sad. we got home late.

sorry, i ran out of time!
love,
 Hermana Ramirez

things i learned as a child! no, fo reals?

hey mom and pops,

que onda?

hows life in the empire state?

let me give you a run down of my life right now. its nothing spiffy, but it is my life. 

we have been working hard in reactivation. we are seeing the fruits of our labors. this ward has so much potential, and we are working hard with the relief society president! we took the ward directory out, like we did in san rafael, and went looking for those lost sheep. well, we went to this area called el pinito, por el rastro. let me tell you a bit about el rastro. its a slaughter house area, but its not a factory. its this run down tin shack neighborhood where the people do the butchering inside the house! it is completely unsanitary, and when we went to see the lady on the list, she opened the door and her hands were covered with slime and fur. she was cutting up little cows, IN HER HOUSE. we were walking outside and from far away saw this clear tube thing hanging up, and when we came closer, we realized they were cow intestines drying in the sun. its to make sausages! yummy. it was super appetizing because it was covered in flies. well, the streets are dirt, and on the sides there are piles of carcases stacked high! it smells so bad because there are no trees, so everything roasts in the sun. anyway, we found the family, and there are 14 inactive people living in the house, and including about eight more that are not baptized members. they seem receptive, and so.. there is work to be done! 

are kapris a style for men in the states right now? we see all these gangster type guys wearing kapris (capris?) and we are confused. that one direction group is a HUGE deal here, so i dont know if it has something to do with them. im just curious. i hope it is not a thing in the states right now, because men wearing clothes like that... ewwwww.

i have learned quiet a bit throughout the many many years of my life... more like just 20. well, from the little that i know, i remember learning how to say good bye in sign language from blue's clues. well, we met a deaf girl, and we make small talk... with our hands kind of. well, we wanted to say goodbye so i did the chin thing and she did it back! wow, i thought that wouldnt work because its american sign language and maybe it was different. well, i felt pretty proud to know that steve taught me that from blues clues. also, i studied mandarin, i love it still! i rememebr it a bit, but i will never forget the basics! well,  hna.michaelis told me how this inactive member claims that he speaks chinese, so we visited him and i just busted out with some mandarin small talk. he looked at me so puzzled. i first asked him in spanish, if he said he spoke mandarin, and he said he did. so i asked him (in mandarin) his name, and if he speaks chinese. he then goes "no no no, its not ni hui shuo, its ney haaash!" i asked him if he knew what i said and he said "its a greeting, no?" i felt bad, but he got embarresed, but.. dont go setting yourself up in language lies. you never know when you'll get a gringa in you house that speaks english, and spanish with a brazilian accent that also knows mandarin. 

another language thing. i like german, but i know like little phrases like 'the soup is very good' or 'what time does the traincome' or 'where is the train station' and nautrally 'do you speak german?' well this one sister we met was being mean and saying spanish is easy and that there is no excuse for our spanish to be so bad. i felt more sad than angry. she said she spoke german so i asked her in german 'you speak german?' and she looked at me for about 5 seconds and said.. va pues. im not a linguist, but watch your tongues gente.

our investigaroa hna.g is getting baptized! this saturday! we love her so much! she passed her interview! i love her and i am so happy she is deciding to repent and come to the fold! we went to her house and reminded her of next saturday and asked how she felt. she thensaid "i dont know.. i dont know anymore" so we asked to explain everything. well, she said she doesnt know the rules of the iglesia, and i said all that is important is to pray, read, and follow the commandments. that is it. nothing else matters really. keep the commandments, in this there is safety!

okay, the 'fo reals?' part. i have CHANGES! I am so sad. i have been here for six weeks, and hermanita.g is getting baptized this saturday. also, this thursday we were supposed to go to the Temple with our convert hermana.B! im crushed. i have a dismal outlook on it, and i need to change that. i usually am fine with cambios, but this one hurts! i hope this next area is my last, because i only have two changes left. 

anyway, i apologize for the typos. 

i love you all! take care!

Love, 

 Hermana Ramirez

it's not me, it's you... The Break Up

Mom and Pop,

  hows it going out in the land of the free? Is it hot and humid? I don't miss that too much about ny in the summer, but i guess i couldn't get too far from the humidity- being that it is the rainy season right now. hey, lets not talk about the weather, i am sorry. 

did you hear about the earthquake? probably not. i don't know why, because it was a freaking 7.2 quake, but nobody wrote me to see if i was alive. i'll tell myself that y'all just didnt hear about it, so that is why nobody asked about if i was okay...so, yeah. anyway, i woke up last monday at 5am, and heard all this water moving, gushing water, and i thought a pipe had broke. i sat up in my bed and looked around and saw everything swaying from side to side. i realized the water was the fountain that is in our house, and all the water gushed over the sides. it was crazy and awesome. i was prepared, i have my 72 hour kit.. it's full of snickers. 

we've been taking the ward directory around and finding people we dont know. we found this family of six, and the father is a high priest. we searched for them, and the second time... we found them! they love us too. the daughter came to church on sunday and a ton of people came up and we talking to her and made plans to hang out! I am so proud of the ward for welcoming her back. next sunday  i hope the whole family comes. they are sweet!

okay, lets get to the break up! remember hermanito.a? well, fíjese que we dropped him. no more, until he calls us back. we love this kid so much, seriously, it hurt to drop him. it's just, if we keep visiting him, and he doesnt progress, we can go back because we'll be numbing him to the importance of acting on faith, and the importance of our purpose as missionaries in trying to help people progress and make covenants with our Heavenly Father. We are working still with his aunt, hermanita.g and she is progressing so much! she is still working for her baptismal date for the 26th of july! she is so amazing. she said how she can see herself changing, and it is so beautiful watching people come closer to our Father in Heaven by repenting and preparing to make sacred covenants. I feel like a proud parent, watching their child grow up into an awesome person! I love hermanita.g so much!

we saw the inactiva lady, Hermana.G this week. she is the one with ms, and she is so amazing. we were visiting her and all of a sudden she breaks down crying. before i tell you why, let me share more about her. her husbands drnks and is drunk a majority of the time, her son chooses to not have a social life and insists on taking care of her (which makes her sad), and she cannot speak claerly even though she spoke four languages fluently. she is lonely and cries a lot. well, she started crying and saying how grateful she is, because she says that everything she asks in prayer, she gets it. she says she doesnt understand why there are suffering people all over the world, and when she asks for something, she receives it. she says how grateful she is, but she feels sad for the rest of the people. she said "how can i tell somebody that Jesus loves them, when they dont even have a bed to sleep in, andi have everything i need?" I love this woman, so much. we are secretly best friends. the thing is, she doesnt know it yet. 

Apparently i have a different accent. some people say i sound like i am from brazil, and others say i am from portugal. they think im from brazil sometimes, and i dont understand it. anyway, this one family said i speak strange, but not like a gringa, which is cool, not sounding like a gringa, but, they laughed at me obnoxiously. oh well, i guess if people think i speak like a strange brazilian, i just think  'thou sayest.' i should give portuguese a try some time. 

there hasnt been rain for a while, so oh well. im living it up, but saturday it came down hard, i wasnt expecting it. oh, germany won mundial, and all of guate wept. the majority of people wanted argentina. i secretly wanted germany, but didnt tell peolpe because many people get offended over little things here and i didnt want to offend. 

love, 

Hermana ramirez 

yep, the week

Dad,

  it was a pretty good... maybe mas o menos, type of week. there were ups, there were downs, i laughed, i cried. okay, bit that intense.. anyway, it was a week.

We said goodbye to president and hermana watts. it was rough. i love them so much. we had their farewell this last tuesday. we had it with zona alameda, atlántico, y ... i don't remember the other zona, who cares anyway. we sang to them as a district (6 companionships) and hermana watts started to cry. it is like saying goodbye to your parents, but they have to leave. it was really hard. They wanted to say goodbye to everyone individually, and so they had us enter into this room and have a few minutes with them.

 I came in and hermana watts hugged me, and they both just said how proud they are of me. they both started talking about things i have overcome and done in my mission, and some of the experiences, and they said "we are so proud of you!" they just said how much they love me, and how they would love for me to stop by and visit them when i get home. i said goodbye, and i just tried to joke around so that i wouldnt cry, so luckily enough, i didnt.  i just felt so much love from them, and i will never forget them. after all of it, i couldnt help but think how it will feel when we return to Heavenly Father, and when we enter into his presence. will He say that He is proud of us? I sure hope so. I know He is proud of you Dad.

this investigadora, (that i havent actually met) is really sick. by really sick, i mean, she has cancer. she didnt realize it until a few months ago. well, we went to go find her, and she wasnt there, so we went to this menos activas house to find her (theyre friends) and it turns out the investigadoras daughter is living with the menos activ sister, because apparently she is now in the hospital, and they sister told us she is just wasting away. she is dying. it made me so sad because the daughter is so cute and tiny. she is about five, and is so adorable, and i cant imagine how it must feel to know thet you are dying and are leaving your daughter. this lady has no family, and the majority of women here are single mothers. we cnt go visit her because she is outside of our area. this whole situation makes me very upset.

we went and visited a recient convert, and he is a little... crazy. it was my first time meeting him, and we brought a short lesson to share with him, and out of nowhere, he just stands up in the middle of the lesson, and says "yo sé como hacer karate!" he just started doing karate, and is going all around the patio doing karate, and i was trying so hard not to laugh. i literally bit my lip. did i mention that he is 71? yep, he is 71. so, imagine that and don't tell me you wouldn't laugh. his shirt was also unbuttoned.

its the season of mundial, or fifa i guess it is called there. mundial is such a big deal here, that sometimes the children don't have classes because of mundial. there are certain equipos, like argentina, that everyone goes crazy for, and the children don't have classes when they play. yep, i just thought you should know. apparently the US was playing, but then again, im american, and i don't care that much about futbol. people here ask us what is our equippo, and i just say costa rica or germany, and they ask why not the US, and i said... ehh, they wont last long.

thats all i have to say about that.

love

Hermana Ramirez

winds of change

so, let it be known, sometimes things happen that you don't expect.

last week was transfer week, and we (feik and i) thought we didnt have transfers because our leaders said we didnt. well, lunes, at about 7:30 pm, elder Gamez called me and said that i had changes. it is strange because hna.feik has been in that area (San Rafael) since mid diciembre. strange, huh?

Well, I am in Lomas del Norte with Hermana Michaelis. Let be describe Lomas to you... casi America! seriously, it is so nice this area, but it isnt too nice where people scoff at you everywhere. San Rafael was poor, and the majority of people were annoyed just looking at us. Here, the people are a bit more friendlier, and it is pretty. THERE ARE GARBAGE CANS! it is so nice! there are still dogs roaming around, but there are also side walks! People have real doors that shut all the way, with hinges! i feel like i am in America.

Speaking of America, my new comp is american! Hermana Michaelis, from Arizona. We fit together like lamb and tunafish... (brandon will get it) We get a long well, and my area actually has nice people. I am sure that i will die here (finish my mission), and to be honest... that sits well with me if it is.

We have this investigador, he has 20 years. He is the bomb! he is progressing, and in this lesson, i got the chills! He is so prepared to receive the Gospel, and in his prayed, oh my gosh! it was so cool, he is awesome. i wont describe the prayer because i dont thinks it is appropriate. just know, he is pilas. 

Well, I must go now. I LOVE LOMAS. Hna.Michaelis and i get along so well, we stay up talking in our beds, and she tells me her bad date stories, and we talk about... experiences. its cool.

Hermana Ramirez

HERE I AM! WALKING IN A HURRICANE!

Dad, 

i hope you dont have too strong of an 80's Scorpions flash back reading that title, but.. its true. 

as a missionary, one is left to be very ignorant. yes, it is true, well, in matters of the worl that is. We dont have tv, radio, internet, so we dont know when there is a hurrincane or not. well, last monday, apparently tere was a hurricane, and we didnt know. so we followed our usual routine, and walked to the mall, and it is about 2 or 3km, not too far. well, it was raining super hard, and windy, andi was like... oh, its just guate. well, fijese que no. it was a hurricane, and we triumphed. yep, good times, good times. it explains why the mall was basically empty. 

somethings i can remember from my week. well, lets see, it was an interesting week. we had a hard day, and nobody, like NOBODY would receive us except this one inactive sister. well, we went an visited her, and she gave us platano cocido con frijol y crema! puchis, tan rico. pues, now quedamos alla con ella, y miramos el video Gracias a El from mormon.org. here is the link to watch it in english  http://easter.mormon.org/ So, she started sharing her testimony of Christ, and she starts crying. anyway, this siter is awesome, becasue she just started coming back to church, and her mom in just a doll. they are so sweet, the whole family. anyway, the father was a high priest and left the church, and really detests the Church, and we feel very uncomfortable when he is htere. well, listening to this isters testimony, just warmed my heart!

We tried to visit a less active sister that hates us. anyway, she lives in an apartment building and didnt come down to let us out. we were locked in the building for 30mins. yep. i love it!

sorry, i didnt plan my time well. i gotta go!

love, 

 Hermana Ramirez 

ps. the assistants came and visited our planning session, and they found me being immature and taking tin foil and making grills. here is a pic 

it smells like... a cleanly spirit! actually, thats our new bathroom

Pops,

  I miss you! dang, i love getting your letters and hearing about your week.

I must tell you... it happened again. my pictures got erased again. its a long story. let me start by saying... WE HAD OUR BATHROOM RENOVATED! Yes, our bathroom was all messed up, and the pipe that left from the toilet would rise in our shower drain! sometimes we would go flush the toilet for fun because we had our very own old faithful right here in zona 18, guatemala!  sucio, no? pues, we told are awesome duenos, and they were like lets get that all fixed. bueno, saturday the men came, and got to work on our house, and put in new tile and it is so pretty! Well,  I didnt know these men, and we live in a place that is... lets the it is a smidge different from Mayberry. I decided to take my bank cards and all along with my darling camera to a members house. i thought this member was trust worth, but... lets say, people that speak dont speak english shouldnt mess around with cameras that are set in english. its not like i just threw the camera in their house and didnt say why, i said i dont want anybody touching it, and well, a bunch of the baptism pictures are gone and pictures of my area. i am pretty upset, but, oh well. i guess i know i am not a picture hoarder, because i have these clean ups all the times.

  

the bright side is that we have a new bathroom. We are pretty excited. now our house doesnt smell like the sewer. bye bye yosemite. 

so there area  few young recient converts here that rea just pilas, buut pilas pilas, so awesome. well, one of them was with us doing visits the other day, and i asked he (hes 15) what was the reason he wanted to change and be baptized. He told me how when he was 13 or 14, he went to this funeral ans there were about 15-20 people. we was at the wake, when these thugs came in and started busting rounds into all the people there, and he tried to hide. he said only about 6 people survived, and he is gratefult hat he was one of them, and he decided to change, and not be affiliated with those things anymore. so he changed, and through his friend who is also a RC, he was introduced to the church. i feel very grateful to know such grounded young people of the church. 

we went and visited una hermana, y ella es buena onda, enserio, buena gente. muy amable, y bien chistosa. she lives in a very humble house.. by humble, i mean it literally is just scraps of tin. well, she makes all these things to sell for this group. o think she said it was called cuarto mundo guatemala. she makes all these cute things, and i bought some stuff from her. she is so nice, these things are so pretty, and when her boss comes and thakes them to be sold, the crafts are sold for about 80 o 100 quetzales. well, we asked her how much her stuff costed, and she gave it to us for 20 quetzales. i wanted to pay more, but she said "noo, hermanita, somos hermanas. no se precupe!" she was telling us about her child hood, and how she lived in a little pueblo outside of the capital, and she said that her mom left her. she didnt have a dad, and she would go and be baby sat by a another lady, and one day she was waiting at the wondow for her mom to come back, and it was late and she was worried, and the baby sitter told her " i dont think your mom is going to come back." the next morning the lady kicked her out and said her mom isnt gonna come back. she didnt. so this sister went and lived with her grandma, and said they only ate cut up onion with sald on a tortilla. anyway, this sister is amazing, because she helps us out and visits with us, doesnt complain at all. the thing i love the most about her is that she laughs! she laughs, and enjoy life even though she lives in a shack of scraps of tin. I love this sister so much, i feel blessed to know her. 

We ate caldo de pata. its cow stomach soup. i herad it was good, and i decided to give it a try. i sounds gross, but lengua also sounded gross and i actually llove it, so i went right in and ate it, and ohh my word... it was horrible. it tasted and smelled like the cud the cows chew. clearly it would, but i thought it was going to be good. such a let down. it messed my companion and i up for a few days, and the worse thing was that we couldnt use our bathroom this whole week. yep, the best timing. anyway, my expectations were too high, and the caldo de pata was gross. 

Hermana Feik and I have been cooking a lot, and we love to eat. We also like not being fat. So we decided to stop eating like we usually do, and this week we are going to cut out platano frito, crema, queso, galletas, rellenitos, y solo vamos a comer sanas! I hope this goes well, becsue, well, lets face it.. I am in my latter days. i have to get is shape. i was never thin, but dang, i feel like the michellin-man. We are going for it this week!

I am learning a lot about patience. this area is really trying my patience, and some times.. people just tick me off. i pray for help so that this ny sarcasim does come out when we are contacting. when i get frustrated, like saturday, i just think "serenity now!" also, i remind myself that we have anew bathroom! INDOOR PLUMBING IS THE BEST! THANKS GUATE!

Well, take care Dad, and dont let people touch your camera! EVER!

Keep on turcking, and enjoy life with airconditioning!

love always, 

 Hermana Ramirez

here are some pics my comp took with her camera. this was domingo en la jungla!

ps. I love the Holy Ghost, and my comp Hermana Feik. We make the best trio

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, minerva is far awayyyy (MY AMERICAN COMP AND I)

I was changed out. yep, it happened. i felt like Minerva was the highlight of my mission, and i didnt feel the shock of the change until la hna.varela and i rolled up (fashionably late) in the taxi to the stake center in Molino. I saw Hna.Gomez, Hna. Ynjo, and the light of my guatemalan smog filled life, that darn Hermana Edwards. tha tgirl is so crqazy. anyway, she took my old area, she is sleeping in my old bed! Dang it Edwardsita! I love that girl, we split Puerto Barrios back in the day. Anyway, i knew it was true, becasue she had to come to minerva at one point, but her and i being in minerva, or even the same zone, at the same time... too darn good to be true. que freaking lastima.

   so, i re-read luke 10, and verses 16-18... wow. i like 18. Anyway. i have read that bhapter about 5 times this week.

   So i am in zona la laguna (mission name) but im in zona 18 in la capital. yep, i like seeing the fun and beauty that life in the 18 has to bring. you wont understand unless you've been there. sorry, closed club type of thing. ill tell you when i get home.

    MY COMPANION IS MAERCIAN! AHH! Wehn the assistant told me i had an american comp waiting for me, i heard Handls Messiah in my head. Could it be true? really, i would be so blessed to have an american comp. the last one i had was my darling Hermana hutchins, and now i have Hermana Feik. Okay, my comp is awesome. She is from Oregon. She was telling me about her life (i asked her about 100 questions about her life) in Oregon. She sadi that she got a revolver for christmas...i thought... wow, my comp is packing heat. but not anymore. She is awesome. she went to byu idaho also! she is actually nice enough to ask me how i am doing! Wow right? i felt like i have had somebody ask me how i was in a long long time.

   I miss my old house in minerva, mailny becasue of the view. I felt like sarah palin, because i could see memebers houses from my roof. I can see the zomna 15 from my house! sorry russia, zona 15 is pretty spiffy.

   i was reading our search for happiness, by elder ballard, and i was thinking about when we teach the first lessonthe restoration. well, i always mention how baptism withour authority isn the way the Lord wants it. When Christ established his church, it was in order. Well, i was watching people lined up getting baptized here in my new area, in the streets (not in our church). I thought, que lastima, dont owrry, one day you will be baptized by authority. i thought about it, and when i was baptized as a child, like 7yrs old. i was just doing what i knew at that point, to be correct. I see people as my brothers. these are just people, doing their best with what they have. How can i not try to help them? I know what i know, and i am doing the best with what i have, so when people come against us, as missionaries (happened a bit this week), i dont think they understand that we are doing this out of love. Just as other missionaries are doing it out of love (from other religions). This is a work of love, not a competition. The moment that this becasuse a competition, it is in vain, and offensive to do it in the name of Christ. I love this work, and everybody in this earth, is doing the best with what they know. i am here to teach, and open their doors to a new life. people that steal and commit crimes, they might be judged and hated by many, but do we know the reasons why they are the way they are? the conditions here are rough. understanding is love.

i love you Dad, take care!

 Read Doctrine and Covenants 112!

​

ALMA 29:4! oh, and the priesthood session on repreat

Let me tell you about the week i have had. I guess it could go perfectly with the scripture Alma 29.4. YEs, go read it...now!

okay, have you read it?

well...

READ IT AGAIN!

Okay, got it?

Good.

So. my comp said "wouldnt it be nice if we could just sleep one whole day?" and i shouted "BLASPHEMY!" and she said "i would just love to have one day to just sleep and have the energy for the whole rest of my mission." so i told her "hey, the brightside is that there are a ton of mosquitoes out now, so maybe you'll get dengue (an illness that last for a week that i caught back in barrios and its horrible, you just pass the week speeling and drinking 7up)! keep your hopes up!" well, remember alma 29:4, well, it wasnt my true desire that my comp would get sick, but Heavenly Father taught me a lesson to not be sarcastic, and to not joke around. And it came to pass... MY COMP WAS REALLY SICK the following morning. yes, its true. everyone said it was my fault, hna.ramirez es su culpa, SU culpa! arrepientase! so i just said in english... i plead the fifth. the funniest thing is when people are angry with you and yell in spanish and to make a sly remark in english- they just decide to leave you alone. well, i didn't want my companion to get sick. i care for her. she has asthma, she got a bad cold, and friday she couldnt breathe. so we went to the hospital, and stayed there for two and a half days.

Dad, let me tell you, i am so happy that we are taught to keep the law, because i felt like iwas in prison for those two days, and i can't imagine what real prison would be like. Seriously, i climbed out the window and stood on the air vent to get some air, and nearly killed my companion because she saw me and started laughing and then coughed for about five minutes, and her eyes were bulging out of her head. We couldn't watch tv, but we did find the byu channel,  and we're are only allowed to watch church broadcasts. so we watched the priesthood session four times. yes, i know the all talks , i know all the hymns that were sung, and i know how much i really love freedom. I stuck my head out the door and looked down the hall and saw a vending machine, and thought "there might be some candy.. gluten free candy out there, somewhere!" well, i love freedom. american prisons let people go outside and have... recess time (kind of) and i couldnt even leave the room. well, im alive. by the way, across the way from the hospital there is a mcdonalds that plays american music really loud. well, lets just say, im still not a bieber fan.

Dad, i love the book of john. I read a lot of John this week, and i really love it. I started Luke, but i had read Luke a ton of times, so i changed to John, and I really appreciate the Bible so much. I love the Bible so much Dad. I feel very privlgd that i could grow up and learn the word of God through the Bible, and learn of Christ. So, i must tell you i was reading in Luke 10, and its pretty awesome this chapter. i suggest you go read it. anyway, verses 6-8 are sweet, i like verse 8. very interesting. i think about how we get fed weird things sometimes, and  well, the Bible says to go for it, so.. yeah. Eat with faith! people tel me to do that with gluten, and i just say... check yourself.

Dad, i feel like i didt rememebr much about this week.

the cemetary is in our area and we went there. Its soo pretty! my comp and i took pictures because the landscape it soo pretty! theres a cafeteria there, but i didnt want to eat there. al fresco? noooo.

im sorry my week wasnt interesting.

I love you!!!!!!!!

take care!

oh, i found this dog with an underbite!

Love,

 Hermana Ramirez

HE IS RISEN!

So, it was semana santa. yes, so everyone decided to observe this holy week with reverence by going to to beach and getting...their drink on. So Minerva was like a ghost town. Friday there was absolutely nobody out, and friday night my companion and i ran hom because we felt a little uncomfortable being hte only ones outside.

Friday we went to a funeral, and i started thinking about life again. yes, i got something out of it. my companions feet were tired so she wanted to stay a while, and i fiured, well, if we're going to be here, i guess ill work. so i hope this wasn't messed up, but i started contacting the people at the funeral. started out with some small tal, askign about their favorite memories they had with the deceased sister, and then, BAM! I talked about the plan of salvacion! Well, what so you know, it was a hit! funerals... it may not look like it, but its a great place to save some souls. 

We got rained on the other day. it felt good. 

Im sorry, i feel like i dont have much to ssay but i know a ton of things happened this week. 

Today we went and did a service activity. my job, along with E'Saavedra, E'Sepeda, Y H'Varela, was to move rocks into a wheel barrel. Yes, so, i felt like i was in prison. it was fun.

It didnt feellike easter much. i was a little sad. i love easter, and i felt like we were rejected a lot. anyway, it was a good week still.

NOW I REMEMBER! Our investigadores put cockraoches in our food. i didnt know until after, and i understand why our food tasted sooo cruncy and gross. it was their kids. TRAVIESOS. the parents didnt know. i understand why the kids were laughing and watching me eat as i downed this tasty treat. YEP! Hey, at least it didnt have gluten!

Im sorry, i should write down what i want to say.

Anyway, i hope you have a good week!

Love always,

 Hermana Ramirez

splashing around in some green water

Dad,

 THIS WEEK WAS SO SWEET!

okay, ill cut to the good stuff. WE BAPTIZED HERMANITA K! yes, she was baptized saturday. What a blessing it was to be able to work with her family, and to keep working with her family. Her fmaily was inactive, and we brought the mother back to church, and realized she was over eight years old, so we prepared her for baptism. Her brother like us, but isnt keen on the idea of coming back to church, well, that was until hermanita K assigned him to say the closing prayer at her baptism. Well, he came to the baptism and then came to church on sundya! It was amazing! I love working for the LORD.

oh, the font water was green. i dont know why, but this is guatechula... the primary kids came to the baptism and wanted to play, and splashed their feet inthe green water.

  Dad, i really love being a missionary. The time goes too fast. I am informed that i go home in six month now, and oh my gosh. Dad, the time goes too fast.

   We also felt pretty used yesterday... used by the LORD! Well, we went looking for this family that found the chapel sunday morning, but missed the services, so they asked us to come back that night to htier house and teach them. I never taught them, theyre knew to the area. Well, we went to their house last nigh, and i was hesitant to go in. the dad seemed a little... under the influence, and it ws dark. well, my comp kept pushing me to go in... well, WE WENT IN. we talked, then sang, then prayed, and after we prayed and i started to tech the plan of salvacion, the sister burst into tears saying she knew that God had sent us. then mientras la leccion, i was talking about the atonement, and the other sister started crying.  I dont know why, i think my voice was so bad they just cried... no, the Spirit was so strong, we ended the lesson with inviting them to baptism. May 10th is their day! They just cried when we left and were so grateful!

  I loved it!

I am so sorry, i dont have time to write more!

I love you!

Remember the Atonement this week... and EVERY DAY.

I know that Christ lives.

I love you Dad!

Love,

 Hermana Ramirez 

ps. in that second picture, find the uninvited guest in my food cabinate. yes, there are cucaracha in guatechula...mala.

Fruit snacks and fiber bars! conferencia general!!!!!

Pops,

  how are ya? Are you enjoying life, and all the food options you have here in america? I sure hope you are! I am so hungry right now, and all i can think about is making sausage and peppers. I told one of the elders that, and they asked me to say sausage again with my accent. WHAT ACCENT?

 Wehad entrevistas Friday! It was great. President and Hermana Watts always bring oreos for us because President Watts says the oreos sold here are fake, not tha same. so they always bring boxes of oreaos, but unfortunately... oroes contiene gluten. lame right? so, darling hermana Watts brougth me fruit snacks, and these super chocolaty fiber bars. of my gosh, it was like a candy bar, so good. it was good that she gave me just one, because if i had a box, i would probably eat them all and thats not good because... they're fier bars. yep, so, it was a good thing.

 Meeting with President is always a good thing. He helped me a lot. I feel like i can be very honest with him, and he helps me. Also, Hermana Watts always has question she asks us, and she asked what do i think that she thinks of me. i think she saw a side of me that she wasnt used to. she tried to make me feel better, and she looked me int he eyes and straight up told me that she loves me. she told me how she is so proud of me, and that meant a lot to me. To hear hermana Watts tel me she is proud of me, that made me feel so good. She told me a bunch of other good things, and i felt like i wanted to cry. I really love Hermana Watts.Sometimes i feel all this pressure to be better abd better, and i have faults. i am a sinner like all of us here on earth, and i have faults. Sometimes i get overwhelmed because i see how i can be better as a missionary, as a member, as a companion, how i cdan be better in speaking spanish, the way i look, and many other things. her words really hit deep. i love Hermana Watts.
 

 GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS AWESOME. I loved how President Monson closed his talk. It was like he was praying at the end. How powerful! I really enjoyed the talk by Linda Reeves. Her talk hit on so many topics, and i loved it! Elder Hollands talk was awesome. Dont worry, what happened to those missionaries hasnt happened to me.. yet. but hey, i did get spit on more than once, i think about foru different times. yeah, but its better than mashed potatoes!

  So we have this girl we're teaching. She lives with this sister who is less active, but is coming back to church. well, this girl is the girlfriend of the memebrs son. yes, she lives with the family, but.. yeah, its a weird situation. anyway, the girl has a baptism date set, for the 26th. this week, we visited her, and friday when we passed by again, she broke the ice and straight up sadi " i dont feel ready to be baptized." umm, well yeah, thats cuz you're not. her fecha is for the 26th, and it was the 4th, falta mas de 20 dias, claro que uno no sentiria lista. well, the member cuts in ansd is like "yeah, i told her i dont think she is ready. Elders (talking to us) teacher her more." whoa, wait, what?I feel really sad becasue they seem to be busy when we come to appointments at their house, or we'll come, and well be sitting in their living room waiting for 40 minutes for everyone to come out, and we have other appointments. well, i felt really sad to hear this. we explained to the girl how she definately needs to learn more, and right now, at that monent, surely she wasnt ready. well, she saidshe doesnt know who joseph smith was, and we taught her twice about it. so i really hope that through our prayers and her eforts, she can prepare herself. i hope she can prepare herself, becausei know that being baptized will bless her life now, and for eternity. I love her, and i want these blessing for her!
 

  so, i made corn bread from yellow corn this week. i like it, it was good!
 

it's getting really hot now. i literally feel my skin quemando en el sol. i love getting tan. dont worry, ill come home all dark like a black bean.

hey, take care dad! I love you!

keep on going!

Love always,

 Hermana Ramirez

here are some pictures of all of us gringos mirando conferencia general en ingles.

the other pic is of a banana tree. yes, this was at a memembers house. SWEET!

ps. my friend Leslie got her misison call to GEORGIA! i love her and am so  proud of her!!!!!!!!!

Dad,

felicidades con su experiencia en el Temple del Senor. Le felicito, porque, yo se que ahora, usted tenga una nueva vista a las cosas sagradas y del Temple del Senor. Gracias por ser digno a entrar y hacer convenios sagrados.

 Esta semana fue bien, nada especial paso en mi area. Last night we met with some investigadores, and one of them explained to us his thgouht of religions. he said that religions are like languages, and that languages are different in various parts of the world, and religions as well. He said that religions were created according to the needs of the people, and that wehn people needed something to change,they woudl change of creat their own religion. He concluded withthe fact that he hopes that we can all unite, and be one, no importa su religion. Well, i respected his thought, and i spent my night thinking a lot about what he said. I guess it all comes back to this: what are our needs? We need a way to be happy; we need laws and commandments and self accountability or else we would have anarchistic societies; we need family structure or else there isn't a proper way to teach and raise children and the future generations; we need love, ect. I read all of these things and the Gospel  of Jesuchristo offers us all of these things.

 you asked what you could help me with back home? Well, if you could look into the fafsa stuff again, i cont remember if it is too late, but look into the loans again. I might go back to school right when i get home. also, some utah state stuff about the gpa, act/sat scores i need to get in. im not sure why, but tuah state has poped into my mind a bit while ive been out here. but, i havent thgouth too much about it, so i dont know. i dont really think about it too much, so its not fo sho.

  grandma sent me a letter with TONS of picture of the family through the years. i found a picture of Nellie! Okay, i dont know if i ever told you about a very special experience i had when i did the sealing work for nellie in the Temple. Well, i dont want to go too into detail, but ill explain later. well, i found a picture of Nellie and i am so happy to finally have a picture of her. So now im just waiting on Angel's letter about our family history and maybe even some pics.

  A sister told us about how her son had a dog when he was young, and she hated the dog, so she paid a bolito to go take it farout and lose it. well, the dog came back, and she said the dog was outside with a pack of dogs, and stopped and just stared at her. anyway, she kept it a secret for her kids for like 20 years, but then she toldus. anyway, im not sure why i found this story interesting, but, yeah. haha

  Hey, its getting super hot here. i finally broke out some of my clothes from Puerto Barrios, yep, its hot. it was 35C the other day.

Take care!

I love you!

Love,
 Hermana Ramirez

 

Blessings, blessings, blessings for all!

Hey Pops,

  I think all these elderes here are thinking that i am going to die. I read your letter, and o man, I can't believe that you're going to the Temple this Saturday! En las palabras de lo que Elder Gonzalez medijo que yo debo decirte "quiero papi, estoy muy orgullosa de it." El le manda felicitaciones!

  This week! wow, i learned a lot. I'll be honest, it was a little rough. I felt a little sick thursday and friday, and I got a letter just in time. I received a letter from Hermana Hutchins, (mi hija!) who i trained in Puerto Barrios. She is one of the best people i have been privelaged to know. Also, i believe she has a blog... anyway, she wrote me about a month ago, and i just got the two letters. anyway, they helped me a ton. I wont go totally into why, its one of those things ill telly ou after the mission, but for the record... I am feeling more love for my companion. I have lreaned that people are products of their environment until they decide to change themselves (good or bad).

This is something that was like... no duh, but i really understood it more. I lived away from you and Mom for a while in Rexburg, and so i grew away a bit. I learned about other people and how thay are. I also feel like i wasnt inthe house much when i did live at home. With church activities and sercives, friends, running, work, ect. i wasnt at home all the time. i learned how i can be who i wanted to be. I am grateful for that time because i learned a lot. For those that have never lived away from home, and always were guided by their parents, probably havent been giventhe same opportunity. Dad, I feel liek people liek that are usually just like their parents, unless they choose to willingly be different than them. I have found more love for my companion and her family. I am grateful for the fact that Mom always showed her love for us. I am happy that i have been able to become likeher now. I am grateful for that because when I feel unloved or forgotten, thats okay. People are products of their envrionments and the mission is a place to grow. Anyway, i love the Lord!

   I have kept reading Revelation, and i rememebred how much i used to have fear for the Second Coming of Christ. I remember how i used to feel from the way we were taught, before we came to know the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I used to be afraid, and as i was reading revelation, i coudlnt help but think about why i should or shouldnt have fear now. I just thought about how i know if i am "saved" or not. I am proud to say that I have been baptized by someone who holds the Priesthood authority of God. I continue to work to live my life in accordance with the commandments of God. I remeber the Lord and His sacrifice by renewing the covenants I had made by participando en la santa cena. I know i am not perfect, and i have many faults, but i have faith in the Lord and i try to follow His ways so that i can return to Him at the last day. I know the Book of Mormon is true because it testifies of Christ and His gospel.  Anyway, i know the Lord provides a way for us to return to Him, and I know He has sent me here to share this knowledge con la gente de Guatemala. I am so grateful.

   We have been very blessed to have been able a poner dos fechas bautismales con dos hijas de Dios este semana pasada. Pues, ayer... anoche, las pusimos. One of the girls is nine, and the other girl is 15. theyre not from the same famiy or anything like that. anyway, we feel so blessed. Sometimes i lose faith. Its true, i dont always thinks about it either. But when I fail to invite people to be baptized by someone who holds the priesthood authority of God, wehn I fail to invite people to make covenants with God and be washed of their sins, i am disrespecting this sacred calling that I have. About two weeks ago, Elder Ochoa came to visit us and told us to not be afraid to invite people to be baptized. anyway, i figured, that when i fail to invite, i am denying my testimony of baptism, and i am disrespecting my calling here as a missionary. Well, i got over my temor, and i... poped the question. Now we have two sisters that are going to be baptized. We are working and praying that they continue to prepare for this day.

   Are you inviting Elder Higbee or Fragiacomo to go to the Temple with you this Saturday? Tell the missionaries there if you want them to come!

  I love you dad!

Keep working!

With love,

 Hermana Ramirez

here is a view from our house. i tried to do the panoramic pic, but im... confused. anyway, yeah!

Minerva is the bomb!!!

Dad, 

how the heck are ya?

  Yep, it's st.patties day, and i am happy to be here and be amongst the guatemaltecos who wont be drinking... anymore than the norm today. unlike NY, who is probably already... half in the bag. Good luck my dear state, good luck in waking up tomorrow... Some people are irish; some people aren't irish. who cares,  i'm irish and thats cool, but im mormon too, so this holiday doesnt apply to me anymore.

  Well Pops, this week was chilerisimo! oh, first off, i dont have transfers. it is transfers week, and i aint leavin!

   Hey, remember the inactive sister that came back to church, Hermana T? Remember her future missionary son? Well... HER SON FILLED OUT HIS MISSION PAPERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! What is this amazing feeling of joy? puchica, dad, this work is amazing. i love being a missionary. sometimes its hard, pero vale le pena. 

  Hey, pleaso let the ward know that i am NOT in the south mission. I still get letters sent there. Forget the south, forget it, throw it out the window, im inthe EAST. make sure that thing ( where ever the newburgh peeps are getting my address from) changes to the East mission. 

  Oh, go watch that video from Elder Nelson Man's Heart shall fail them. i watched that a ton before my missoin, and i watched last night, dang. it was good i didnt have mascara onyesturday, because those tears went rollin. its so good that video, and the elder holland one. yeah, he should have just got a new car. 

  we met these awesome guys that play guitar, and theyre evangelicals. and gues what, they were playing dc talk, and they sing in english. i was like, AHHH! DC TALK! i asked them if they know about sonicflood, and they said no. me hert broke a bit. anyway, they like jars of clay. i love these guys, theyre so talented. they should totally seguir el ejemplo de Jesucristo y al ser bautizado por algien que posee la autoridad de Dios. yep, they should. 

  I was reading in Revelations 7.13-17, and i just thought about how marvelous it is that we have the proxy work in the Temple. what a great blessing it is to know that everyone gets the chance to hear and accept the Gospel. Our Heavenly Father is so merciful! He just loves us so much, and for that He sent His Son.

  Im still reading the miracle of forgiveness, and its starting to hurt a bit, not a lot, bit just a smidge. 

  Okay, i am so grateful to be here in Minerva for another transfer! I really love this area, and we are really seeing a copious amount of blessings, like a plethora just layed out in front of us. so were working heard. 

  I love you dad! 

kepp going!

love, 

Hermana Ramirez 

"i was the kind of kid that always wondered what bark was made our of on a tree." -Hansel

the pic is of the elders playing jenga. elder Sepeda was putting the block in, but literally one second after, the whole thing fell. you can see the first piece falling.

New House, the Temple

Dad,

  I feel like this letter you sent me came at the perfect time! I am so proud of you Dad! I am really really really proud of you! Enserio, yo no se si yo puedo expressar como siento yo de estas buenas noticias. march 29th will be so awesome, i hope you make the most of this day as you enter the Temple. I honestly cannot believ you have a date set for your Endowment. I seriously am so proud of you!
  

Dad, today we went to the Temple. That is why i didnt write you monday, because we changed our p day to today. We went to the Temple, and I saw the new presentation! honestly, it looked neat, and the technology is cool, but... anyway - we can talk about it after... in like, October. Dad, i had such a great time in the Temple today! I hadnt been since May! I will admit, i had a good Celestial room cry, it was nice. i really felt the Spirit, and someitmes tears come in. I couldnt help but think of you and mom, the whole family, and it just really tried my hope, but i know we will all enter the Temple together as a family one day. I know.

Hey! We got our new house! We moved out of our old house, and quit love-shacking with the other sisters from lo de fuentes, and we moved into our new house! It is huge! Two stories, with a walk up roof and we hang our clothes to dry up there, but my comp doesnt like it up there on the roof. I love it because you can see the whole capital, and its like getting away for a little while. "up on the roooof"

Im an english teacher! I love teaching English Dad! I have the class learning "I am a child of God" in english, y mucha gente llega! I get really into teaching, and elder Sepeda y Elder Saavedra are sit in on our classes if investigdores llegan. pues, saavedra me dijo que ellos pienses que yo debo ser una maestra... psshhht! yeah right. anyway, its fun teaching english!

Dad, this less active sister that came back to church. We reactivated her! And now... get ready, but her inactive son... ACTIVE! but hay algo mas,.... get ready.... HE WANTS TO SERVE AMISSION! I feel like my labors as a missionary are really showing fruits! Its amazing! We didnt have anyone to acompany us Sunday, and we ate lunch at his grandmas house, and my comp was like... what do we do, we dont have a member with us.. and i was like WAIT! Daniel! get ovr here, come with us, lets go save some souls! guess hwat, he came with us! I really love the way the Gospel chages people when they let it. I saw him yesterday, and when he told me the mission news, i shared my testimony with him, and how everything around me felt like it was falling apart when i started getting ready for my missin, but the Lord had his hand on my back pushing me through. He cried! I love this work! yo amo la obra, yo amo el Senor, y yo se que no es facil a trabajar en la obra del Senor porque siempre hay pruebas, pero El nos apoya.

 Dad, i just want to tell you how much I love the Lord. I have gone through such rough parts of my mission, and the times that i had sat on the cement floor of my apartment crying, and know that i wasnt the only one there, but the Lord was there reaching his hand out to me. The times where i have felt, and sometimes do feel, very alone, or forgotten, i know, withour a doubt, that the Lord is right there with me. I have been filled with His Spirit so much these past few weeks. Some morning i wake up and i am just filled with this joy in my heart, and full of love. I will be honest and tell you that things come through the day, problems, difficult people, and some of that joy disappears, or hides, but i know that He is always with me. That song i sang when we went to those evangelical churches many years ago, This little light of mine. It says not to hide the light under a bushel, or to let satan blow it out, or to hide it. Thats how it is, we cant hide it. I love the Lord, and i feel like i know Him better than i did before. I love the restored Gospel.

yo Pops, the other morning i woke up (in our new house!) and i heard that song by Jay Z and Alicia Keys, oh mannn. i thought of how much better new york is than idaho, and i killed a cockroach.

anyway, i love you!

Keep on trucking!

I love you dad!

Hey, enjoy watching the news!

Love,
 Hermana Ramirez

yeah, it´s march

Hey Pops!

  so, i cant remember too much, so that means im gonna ramble.

i got some christmas cards fromthe ward last week, it brought the christmas spirit back, until i read some young woman wrote Ï LOVE TACOS and i thought... hmm, i wish i could find some good tacos here in guate. yeah, i love tacos too.

   Hey, when is the Temple in Connecticut going to be finished. (this compu doesnt have question marks) i woudl love to hear that you and mom go to the dedication.

     we had stake conference here, and our awesome investigador came! she brought us in her... CAR!!!!!! it was sweet! I loved stake conference because el Hno.Fajardo dio cincho a todos los miembros porque ellso no nosayudan mucho con encontrando. fue tan chilero! Pues, conferencia de estaca fue muy espiritual! yo aprendi mucho!

   Hey, we had a zone conference with President Watts and Hermana Watts usually bring cookies or cinnamon rolls she makes. but, thats just a gluten fest. so she bought me chocolate Chex! I was so happy!

   Hey, so we teach english here, well, i teach english to the kiddies or beginners, and another sister teaches advanced. I first was frustrated teaching english, but i had to say, i really love it now! I love it! I teach mostly children, but its awesome! i am getting so into it, i bring candy, and i am incorporating church materials into the lessons! I had them leanring I am a Child of God in ingles. es bien chilero, estoy muy feliz ensenandoles.

   So i am curious if you know an elder fatheringham. a sister here said hes serving in the mission there NYNY North.

    We celebrated Elder Sepeda´s birthday! Its was cool! We made pupusas! yes, i have become a really good pupusa maker ! Seriously, my comp (from San Salvador) taught me... well i just watched. Anyway, now she laughs because im like an expert, its pretty cool. its nice to hear that im pilas a haciendo pupusas.

    HEY! POPS! Can you find out some info about fafsa and pell grants for school. I hope you get that show onthe road because i want to study when i get back. Hey, look into some utah state stuff for me, and their business programme and chinese. Im kind of interested in going there. not sure why, but send me some info please onthe school and the grants and fafsa.

    Hey, im reading the miracle of forgivness and its still blowing my mind. I really love that book.

    Dad, sorry that i was a major brat before my mission. Well, more when i was like 13 and 14. anyway, Even in college i was a brat. i think about how i was... even with guys... still a brat, yeah. i was a brat sometimes, sorry. SORRY WORLD. I promise, ill come back better. I realized i was a brat with peoplei really loved, i just didnt want to express how i felt all the time.

    I was thinking about how mormoni visited Joseph, and its was normal profeta stuff, because every Profeta in history in la biblia, passed the authority down, from the past profeta to the following profeta. anyway, it was cool, i love to just think about stuff like that.

    Hey, when you go to the Temple, please get grandma Luisas Endowment card, i lef tit there, and i really want it back! Its filed under Ramirez. Thanks. Hey, i totally want to go do some Temple work with you when i get back. Lets do that!

    Keep reading the scriptures Dad! Keep praying as a family! i know things things are important because these things are the basics!

Take care!

Love,

 Hermana Ramirez

the pics are of pupusas and hermana Watts and I!

El milagro del Perdon... y fe! 24 de febrero

Pops,

 hey, this week was so sick!

Okay, thankfully, first off, i don't have a parasite. Yeah, Monday night, i felt like i had company... possibly a prasite, and Im happy to say, that NO! I didnt have a parasite! It was maybe just too many pupusas we made. I'm good now!

   So we had the goal of finding 20new investigadoes this week. Let me just tell you that last week we found 2, the week before, 4, the week beofre 7, the week before that, 5. So 20 was a huge goal. Well, we found 14 nuevoes! I am so happy. I fulfilled a bunch of our other weekly goals. This area is tough, but with faith, Dad, we conquered!

   Im reading el milagro del perdon, and it is AMAZING! okay, heres a part i relly like. Kimball says:

juzgo yo que cualquier hombre o mujer puede hacer mas para ponerse de conformidad con las leyes de Dios en un ano en esta vida, que lo que pudiera hacer en diez anos dspues de muerto. El espiritu solo puede arrepentirse y cambiar, y entonces tiene que efectuarse la batalla con la crne mas adelante. Es mucho mas facil vencer y servir al Senor cuando los dos, la carne asi como el espiritu, estan integrados en uno.

   WOW! Thanks Spencer W. Kimball! this book is really awesome. If you haven't finished the Book of Mormon yet, FINISH IT! Then re read New Testament... and tehn read, The Miracle of Perdon.

   Hey Dad, remember Gentlemen Broncos? Well, remember how it had the song Winds of Change in the movie and that part where they'e on reindeers in the street? Well, i was crossing the street and there was nobody aboutside, and it was hot, and dusty, and the wind was blowing. Well, everything looked brown and boring, and this guy started playing the song winds of change, and they were so serious (like they could even understand the song), and I just couldnt help but laugh. I love that lame movie so much. anyway, i looked around in slow motion kind of like Benji in the mocve. I know, im a nerd, i just couldnt help but think of you, Brandon, Grant, and the Tousleys. That movie is tan chistoso.

  anyway, heres a pic of the mountin side and the view of the capital. Its not a good pic of the whole capital, but the lady with the wood on her back just makes it puro chapin!

heres a pic of my comp and i when we had to wait in a bus for like an hour in the blazing hot sun. the thing here is that EVERYONE is late in guatemala, sorry... fashionably late (con ropa tipica) we were really tired

Anyway, i love you Dad!

Keep going!

love,

Hermana Ramramramirez!

Fwd: Hermanita A, Valentines Day, and Baptisms... that weren't from our area

DAD!
 HAPPY FREAKING BIRTHDAY!

I hope you don't think i forgot. this morning, I got up, had a half of a tablespoon of peanut butter, put on some David Archuleta.. and then, i had this idea. I wont tell you what it was, but i can tell you, it was pretty amazing... and not boring. anyway, here is the result of that genius idea.

so yes, i remembered that you're doing the diet where you dont eat any wheat or anything other than neat, veggies, fruit, and no processed stuff. sounds a little like gluten free living, but as you can tell, i still get fed tortillas, and thats where that second chin comes in.. .thats misison life. oh, and a ton of platanos. good luck with the diet!

  So, people remember that i know... more like knew, mandarin. well, one of the elders wants to know his chinese name, so now, people are asking me what their chinese name is... I DON'T KNOW, im a half gringa, half nicaraguan girl from New Yrok. anyway, im going to break out my chinese books that i brought (which i dont study) and come up with some names.

   This week was rough. We didnt find many new people to teach, pretty rough. i contacted a bunch, but my comp doesnt like to contact much, so... yeah.

   Our lovely Hermanita A is so sweet. We stopped by her store on Valentines day, to visit her, and she made us these little hearts with a candy on it. The candy had coffee in it, but it was the thought that counts! she said that she now works every Sunday now.

  Hey, i was just told that we need to go in like five minutes. The guy is kicking us out before our time is over. Thats how you really break a missionary's heart.

I started reading the Miracle of Forgiveness by spencer W. Kimball. I asked permission from Pres. watts, and he gave me permission. Im reading it in spanish, so it will take me a little bit longer, but it is really powerful. I just want to apply the atonement of christ to my life in a greater aspect. I really am so thankful for His atonement, that we can be saved. We can return to our Father in Heaven one day. The thing that is so amazing, is that we can return as a family, not just alone. we can be together as a family forever. I can't wait for the day that we are all together as a fmaily in the Temple Dad. It will happen.

   I have learned a lot about faith. It is a principle that is basic, but very important, very essencial to everything. Faith really, just changes to much. Also, i was thinking a lot about charity this last week. My comp hasnt put an effort to try to get to know me, and says things that hurt, but i think i just need to get to know her more. I am trying to compliment the good things she does, and i think i really am learning to appreciate the people the LORD puts in our lives. I know she is a wonderful person, i just and trying to bring that out of her more. she misses her old area. Charity can be applied when we barely know someone. Charity doesn' mean we judge poeple. I think Faith and Charity is my focus this next week, and i love studying about charity.

  Dad, i have seen that i have changed my personality on my mission. the LORD is really helping me become a better person. I am more patient and kind. I am so grateful for the hard times i have had in my mission because He has molded me into a better person. Thankfully i have about eight months left, so i can come back better, i really hope the LORD keeps helping me to improve, because I have a lot to improve on.

  I just want to tell you something that makes me happy when i feel down. I love when people come into church late.. really. I used to be bug me a bit, but i think about it. I bet some of these poele really put their best efforts to come to church, and they could have stayed home, but they still come. Its not an annoyance to me, but i appreciate their presence. Being on time is the best, but its better to just come than not come to Church.

  I love you, heres a picture of some of my best buddies in my district. We went to McD's. I love these guys, p-days are fun with people that just want to chill, but also be a little crazy.
 

i love you you Dad. Keep reading the scriptures!

Hey, i just got christmas letters sent to the South mission. Tell the ward my new address, with mision este.

cambios, aladdin, y una investigadore de oro

This week was interesting, nothing too exciting though, sorry!
     We had changes, and my comp left. my little tica, Hermana Gomez
se fue. she was super sad to leave porque esta area fue su primera
area. the changes meeting was cool i guess, i got my pants. Okay, Dad,
the material around here, that is tipica, like puro guatemaltco, is so
beautiful. Well, these pants are like aladdin pants, and so comfy. i tried
to take a pic in these pants, but, it didnt come out how i
wanted it. also, this comp doesnt send pictures. yes, i feel robbed of
my Q5.
     We have this awesome new investigador, lets call her Hermanita A.
She works in a tienda near the capilla, and is bien pilas. she has
read everything we have left her. We have been meeting with her for a
week, and so far she read all the folletos, and from the introduction of
the book of mormon all the way to 1 nefi 8. she wants to be baptized,
and we put her fecha for 15 de march. we are so excited; she works
every other sunday, so we put the date far ahead. People like her make
me feel so happy, just me da mucho alegria. From all the times we get
rejected, especially in this area, she just makes it so much better to
know there are people out there that want to be better and give their
lives to Christ. We have been getting rejected so much these past few
weeks. i usually dont take it too hard, its normal, but this past
week, people are just rude and mean to the point where its as if they
just really want to hit you deep. ouch, but hey, thats the name of the
game right¡? just some pretty good memories!
     Our inactive sister that we are helping come back to church,
she had an interview with the Bishop and is going to receive her
Patriarchal blessing!!!! I am so pumped! She is the bomb. We can call
her Hermana T. Hermana T is so awesome, she wants to serve a mission
now. I love her so much, she has really touched my heart.
    I thought of you and the fam dad, because my old comp hna.gomez
and i found a korean man who sells fruit en monserrat. Well, my comp said i should go speak mandarin to him, but she doesnt understand that korea and
china are different paises with different languages. so, i talked to him in spanish, and well, i am so grateful that i watched all that arrested developement. i
remembered how to say hello in korean! i dont know how to spell it,
but it sounds like ahnyong. I pass him now and shout it, and we're buds.
thanks arrested developement!
     People here love chicken salad, and well, i cant help but think
of that movie with jason schwartzman, and ... oh man, whats his name,
the blond english actor. dang, anyway, i just laugh a bit when people
offer me chicken salad. Ask brandon about this movie, he'll know. ask
him, he gets it. the bonnet... oh man.
     Our ward mission leader had his birthday party Saturday, and naturally, fuimos. Well, Hno.David is so awesome and has this little girl of about 4 or 5 yrs. well, we had a pinata, and all of us misisonaries dived for the dulces, and i found these dulces to the side so i picked them up, and she said "thats mine!" well, I said "well, then why are they in my hands...?" and she lost it. it was so funny, she just screamed so loud, and i gave her her candy back. she threw it all on the ground, and got a bag, and took all of our dulces. all of us missionaries just watched her in silence take all our candy. it was pretty disturbing. she pushed them into a pile on the floor and picked hem up, one by one, nd put them in the bag. it was terrible... que es este dolor?

     Today we all went to Paiz (a grocery store) and about half of the missionaries weighed themselves. Pobrecita, one of the sisters is new, like 7 days new, and said "yo no creo que yo voy a subir de peso durante mi mision," heh, good luck. i told her how i started my mision with one chin, and i feel a third one coming on, im fighting it, but thats kind of the way it goes.

     I feel like the Lord has really blessed us this Sunday. We prayed for us to meet our goal of bringing four new people to church this week, and sabado we went around contacting all these people we planned on bringing to church. Nobody that we visited showed up. We felt a little crushed. sundays were pretty relaxed for me before my mision, but as a missionary, nothing is more pressuring than those ten of fifteen minutes before church starts. Going to bring people to church, and waiting and knockng on their doors, hoping theyll answer the door. Or worse, waiting outside the chapel, anxiously looking side to side, for someone to come. Well, our dear friend, who also served a mision, brought  neighbor to church! It was a major blessing! She is also a returned missionary, so she gets it.

     A good little week.

Re: Finally

Dad,

 frst off... NO! We don´t get to sleep on Pdays! estoy bien freaking cansada!

      Word up, the Tousleys are going to tbe teaching Temple prep? That is sick! I took Temple prep in my war in Idaho, and honestly, it was good, but i could have done with out it. I hope the Tousleys make it way more exciting. I felt like part of my Temple Prep class time, was taken up by people talking about how they met their spouses, and then sometimes it ws a good class. It just depended on  who showed up. 

     Yáll received my letter! Yay! Sorry, i wrote Brandon like five pages or something, please dont feel unloved, its just, Brandon is my bro, he´s my main g. anyway, yay, you got my letter!

     Brandon wants to move back to socal? Okay, at least he isnt thinking about moving to anywhere north of bakersfield. Yeah, people call that cali... i guess it is, but, lets be real, nothing is better than socal. thats like... Oregon. anyway, i saw that here and peole get ticked. oh well, in from NY, no me importa. But wait, im going to lose my best friend. If brandon goes, i dont know what i will do. Well, i do, but, i wont. Ill stay in NY, i love NY with casi all my heart. Well, the Gospel first, but, NY is second, and i dont think I want to likve anywhere else. Did Brandon hit his head... again? Lets just hope that doesnt work out, i know, that is mean, but, hey - we´re talking about NY.

     So, we found this family last saturday (como, hace una semana) and we invited them to our movie night and they came! We visited them during the week, and the wife is super sweet. Well, saturday they came to our english calss (taught by yours truly, and my Cali bro, elder Corbin), and the wife is interested in learning english. Well, she asked if there were more actividades on saturday in the capilla, and there werent, but... there was a baptism going on! so we swung on by at 4pm and walked with them to the baptism! Theyre bien pilas, but... they didnt come to church. dad, the heart of a missionary hurts so bad when investigadores who have a fecha for baptism dont come to church. it hurts! 

     Good news! Our investigador who had a fecha bautismal, he came! The memebrs were so welcoming, and invited him to play soccer with them on saturdays! He has a fecha bautismal por 15 de Febrero. We are praying so hard that all goes well! He came in late on sunday, and it was great to see him there!

     MORE GOOD NEWS! My comp and i haven´t had a baptism yet, adn were working realy hard. We just want people to chnge and be better! That they can draw closer to Christ and make convenios con Dios. Well, we are reactivating so many people. Four people, who had been inactive for YEARS came to church. it was a major blessing. One sister has been inactive for seven years, another hermano for four years, and a mother and son for three years. They all came and had a sweet time. the members were just amazing yesterday, wso welcoming. I had a great sunday. 

     nothing is more pressuring and da mas nervios, than when its about 8:50, and youre waiting for your investigadores and less actives to come to church. We had a great sunday. 

     So, we saw elder Cook! Miercoles, he came! It was sweet! when he started speaking, he didnt even say anything super moving or profound, just general talking about random things, and Dad, i just started to cry. Not sobbing, just a few lagrimas, and its because when i heard him speak, i just knew, the Spirit was testifying to me, that he really is an apostle of Dios and he was called to serve. He was somany thigns that i really needed to hear that day, in ways i never thought i would receive such info. It was so amazing. Also, Elder amado sopke, and he always just makes me check myself, and how im doing. Well i shook elder Cooks hand, and it was so quick that it was about three seconds. Well, i shook elder amados hand, and oh my gosh, he look me right in the eyes, and gave me this smile, and it was so powerful. He like stopped, and shook my hand, and it was ery powerful. It was a sweet day. 

     I saw my MTC district there. We took this picture! All of us together again!  It was so sweet to see them all!

  I hope everything goes well this week. 

     Oh hey, we went to a sweet park this week! i took a pic of the grafitti because it was awesome!  Enjoy! Its guatemalan grafitti!

Have a good week dad!

ilove you, and I hope you enjoy Temple Prep!

oh, a quote from my comp this week. "es que yo estoy enamorada con mi misma!" wow, so humble. 

llove, 

 Hermana Ramirez

On Mon, Jan 27, 2014 at 3:09 PM, Rudy Ramirez <ramirezr100@gmail.com> wrote:

Si por fin!
  It was announced yesterday that the Temple Prep class is scheduled to start Feb 9th. And it's being taught by none other than John and Christy Tousley. Im so psyched. After sacrament Br. Riachart extended the me the invitation and I said Of Course!

   So that mi hija is the most important part of my week. It was great reading your letter we received it Tuesday. Our missionaries are winding down their tours at least the Elders are the Srs. I think just started. The sisters are so sweet.

   I have an interview with CVS for the assistant manager training program this Friday. Mom is all jazzed up because she ran into Frauline Kim Eichner. Who told her retirees can move into Stuart Terrace. @2000 a month they cover water and electricity all we need is our washer and dryer. I need to see how the CVS thing is going to work out, we would rate a 3br. so when you come back, (woo hoo) until you get sick and tired of us. Your brother is thinking of moving to Kaleefornia with Amanda. He is working at Staples and is doing Computer Base Training (CBT) on computers. So hopefully he will stick to this and his skull will harden. Tu tia Lisa le dijo se puede  quedar con ella hasta que encuentre trabajo y hogar. I don't think he realizes what it takes to survive, hopefully he won't learn the hard way. I think next time I go to the gym I will take a selfie and send it to you, so you can see "I WORK OUT"! I have that song in my head!

   So that's it short and sweet I know you have other things to do, and people to write to and hopefully relax. You guys don't get to sleep in on Pdays? I love you and miss you.

Tu Papi!