Saturday, October 29, 2011

Un Titulo Creativisimo

maaann what a week. It's so weird how much quicker we get to P-day every single week.. and  exactly a week from now is Halloween >:O!! CRAZY. Sooo wat in da WORLD do we talk about today. This past week was completely inSANE. On Thursday, we had this special joint Zone Conference, where all of the Northern Zones went to Albuquerque...shoutz to Alvarado what WHATT..! hahhha how lame. But the main speaker of the Conference was Elder Per G. Malm of the Seventy ! It was SUCH an incredible conference.. and what made it the most incredible was that he would talk to us, he would make us laugh, but then he would randomly look out at all of the missionaries, ask a question, and then choose one to come up and bear their testimony. These missionaries that came up had to dig deep and share the testimony about what Elder Malm wanted to share, and it was incredible seeing these 20-22-year old kids sharing their hearts and crying from how good they want to be, sharing how they don't want to disappoint absolutely anyone they have met on their missions, or sharing about how absolutely true they know this church is. It is incredible seeing the depths of people you didn't even really know an hour before. It is so incredible seeing the vulnerability that every single person has. It's incredible being able to see someone for who they really are.
  I haven't been able to cry lately. Maybe because I'm too tired to, or maybe because I just haven't put forth the effort to feel as much as I could, and should. But there was this one point of the conference where Elder Smith sang to "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". And the most touched I have been all week was when he's about to sing the very last word of the song, "He lives".. and his face goes bright red, and his eyes fill with tears, and he baaarrely gets the word 'lives' out of his mouth. . ..... . ...and thinking back to that song STILL makes me want to cry, knowing that this missionary, as young as he may be, as imperfect as he maybe, he knows that his Redeemer lives, so much to the point that it brought him to tears in front of an entire group of missionaries. And that was what it took for me to open my heart and finally feel, and that is when I finally made it so I was able to cry, and not having done so for so long. It was so incredible, being able to see and feel what was going through his heart, and being able to realize that we will never connect unless we feel. The only key is letting your heart stay open to feeling.
  Cool story !! So. On Friday, we had SUCH a good day planned. We had appointments set up, and membersto come to all of them with us, and even our investigator was going to come to our dinner appt. with us. Welll. In the matter of about 2 1/2 minutes, every member called and said they wouldn't be able to make it, AND our investigator said that she wouldn't be able to come to dinner. whatt !! So. We were trying to find the lesson to learn in it. and trying and trying, when all of a sudden our Ward Mission Leader calls us and tells us that he's going to take his family to L*****'s and wants us to come along and see if J****, our investigator and L*****'s husband, is there, so we could talk to him and L*****. So of course we got our stuff and went.. and we got there.. J**** wasn't there, and it was just like normal. L***** made the family food, and we talked to her for awhile and taught her, and then we left, wondering if there was ANY significance of going out there, or any specific reason. But we remembered that L***** was talking to us about her daughter-in-law, and how she had gotten a blessing the night before, and it had said that she needs a framed picture of Christ in her house. So at the end of the night, we decide to go get her a frame, cuz we have a grippp of pictures of Christ that we could frame and give to her. And we're driving towards Wal Mart, when we have a better idea to go to The Dollar Tree. So we get the frame right. I don't wanna make this story longer than it is. hah and we go to pay, and I start talking to the woman, who looks Spanish too. BEAUTIFUL. So we're talking, and I ask her where she's  from. And she says California. And so I said, "Oh my gosh me too !!" and at the same time we both say, "What part??" and I say Riverside. And she's all, "NO way me too!!" And then I say, "Whatt!! Well I'm from Moreno Valley, but nobody knows Moreno Valley, so I just say Riverside.." and she's like, "ARE YOU SERIOUS !! That is SO crazy me too !! I know allll the streets you're talking about, how crazy is that!!" And she starts naming off streets from Mo Val and everything ! WHATT ! haha so apparently she's lived here for 2 years, and she just kept on aying, "this was NOT by chance. This is so crazy how this all happened." And then she asks us if we're Mormon, and we tell her yes and that we're missionaries, and then she's all, "Do you have a card at all that I can have?" One of theee first times in this mission where someone's asked US for a card haha. And she goes on to say that she's going to call us, because she doesn't want to open up and start crying right then and there. I don't know her life at all, but if there's anything I DO know, it was that Heavenly father loves her so much that He went through leaps and bounds, making it impossible in every way for us to have gone to our appointments, since they were all cancelled, because M*****-our new friend :)- needed to know that He is there. He made everything fall apart for everyone else, knowing that they would be okay and He would take care of them, so that He could help another one of His children. I had no idea how much He was guiding us, or what the importance was of our going to visit L***** until that very moment. We never ever would have had a reason to go to the Dollar Tree had our appointments not fallen through. We never would have even been over in that area had we not had the time to go see L*****. Heavenly ather knows exactly what we need in the exact time that we need it, and I truly truly know that, especiallyyy after Friday night. He is in complete control.
  M***** still hasn't called us yet, but ! We're missionaries who don't give up on anybody's potential.. .... and we're allllso missionaries who know where she works. hahahh so please pray for her !!
  Umm funny story before I 'blow this popsicle stand' (Hna. Henderson-hahahaha).. sooo last night we went arouuundd 8ish..? to contact a referral from the Zone Leaders. The referral wasn't home, and so we started walking away, when this kid is coming down the stairs of the apartments. I can't judge.. but it looked like he was 'up to no good'..he had the tattoos and was in a biggg hurry and all of that. But he's a person, so we said hi! And he mumbles 'hey', and then we just started walking away since he was practically running, and then he stops and he's all, "Wait.. ya'll aren't Mormons are you?" And I say, "Ya," and he says something along the lines of, "Aww naww." with this horrible look on his face, like he's looking down at us. hah whatt !! Buuutt afterwards, we didn't feel that safe being there.. so we're on the way to the car.. walking with purpose ! hha and then we say hi to these 2 men that were walking in front of our car, and one asks us how we are, we ask him how he is, and right before we get in the car he just looks back at us and he says, "....hm.!" like he noticed something about us, or was thinking about something. or SOMEthing haha I have NO idea. Buuutt. Anyway. weeeirrd weird things. Gosh Albuquerque. hah
 
  De todos modos, no tengo nada mas que decir. ojala que todo este bien con cada uno de ustedes, y ojala que sepan que tanto que les quiero. nos vemos !!
 
La Iglesia es verdadera.......
La Hermana B.
 
 
 

Monday, October 17, 2011

Casi La Noche de Brujas :0

Mannn what a week. You wanna hear something cool?? M****** FAMILY WENT TO CHURCH YESTERDAY :O !!!! SO COOL hah. I felt like a little kid going to Disneyland for the first time or something when I saw them hah. And afterwards, my girl J**** comes up to us and she's all, "See? We went to church!!" haha it was so cool. soooo so so so cool. We had gone over there to eat dinner with them the other day, and I was teaching J**** some hip hop haha.. but without music. nothing bad. And I really really realized that you have GOT to get on someone's level before they can trust you to reach another one. Afterwards, me and her played companions and shared a message with the rest of her family about just how she was following me, we need to follow our Heavenly Father, who knows what HE'S doing. And it sounds so simple, but it is SO absolutely true..He already gives us what He knows we need, like the scriptures. and prayer. and church. these super super simple things, and we just need to do them, absolutely trusting that He knows what He's doing by commanding us to do these things. Sooo anyway. THAT was really cool.
  We've been having a looott of trouble with our investigators keeping their commitments, especiallyyy reading the Book of Mormon. I COULD say that I don't understand why, because it's a book that says on the front that it's another testament of Jesus Christ, so wouldn't someone be curious as to how ? But I can't judge at all, for all of the years that I didn't read it, or even glance over at it at that. So I understand, and as a result I've been bearing my testimony a LOT of the Book of Mormon, and it's so cool, because I realized how strong my testimony had to, and still has to be to be able to bear it over and over. We have to absolutely know something is true to be able to talk about and defend it constantly. No matter how hard it is.. cuz it'll get hard. But it won't be a burden if we love it.
  I had this dream on Friday night. It was really weird, there was this kind of race that me and a bunch of loved ones were running, but from different places and we were all trying to get to the same 'finish line'. it wasn't really a 'race'..it was more of a race against ourselves to see if we would make it. and i remember going through all of these mountains, with a bunch of red a green and rain and stuff like that, and i was thinking about all my other friends and family, and wondering how THEIR course was.. if it was the same, if they had the same amount of troubles and obstacles that I was having, if they were making it. I was pushing and pushing and pushing, not really thinking about whether I was gonna make it or not. But I was wondering if they were going to. Haha really fast.. we ran in this race like how Edward and the vampires run in Twilight hahah ! anyways. So I remember that I was finally finally seeing the end-which was at the onramp to the 60 freeway from the 90, like you're coming back from the beach haha, and I was looking for my friends all over the place as I was on my way home, and of all the people who had started, you know who the only person was that I saw?? My brotha Zachary Jimenez! And he looked super tired, but I remember how happy I was seeing that HE made it too, through the horrible maze of life he had to go through. And I just hugged and hugged and hugged him, and he knew how worth it that it was to have gone through that race/maze, knowing that he made it.
  So this dream was super cool, and it made me realize how much of a part we act have in helping others realize the help that Heavenly Father offers. Every single one of us is a manifestation of missionary work, whether it be member missionary work or full-time missionary work. We all have a testimony of it, in one way or another, and we all have a responsibility to help others gain a testimony of it. If not, how selfish are we keeping in what makes us happy. There was this movie I was watching the other day, and one of the greatest men from the Restoration said, "Callings are seldom convenient." It doesn't matter at all how much we do or don't want to talk to someone, or pick someone up for church, or invite someone to have a family home evening. Heavenly Father's work isn't supposed to be convenient for us. And quite sadly, I feel that that's why there aren't more people out on missions, because it's not convenient. But either way! Whatever the situation, whatever the circumstance that we are in, there is a way for us to make our Heavenly Father even happier with us when we share our happiness.

  Pondria yo algo mas en el Espanol, pero no tengo la energía jaajaja. Pero así es en la obra del Senor. Tenemos que trabajar hasta que nos caigamos, para que sepamos.. verdaderamente sepamos que El esta contento con nosotros. No hay ningún mejor sentimiento.

Con Amor ! Hermana Lia Batchkoff

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

"its never too late to be what you might have been"

Which is the quote that I am absolutely living by lately hahah.. well. forever.
  We don't see enough of our potential, and as a result, we end up getting lost in the average things we do. We end up getting lost in how easy it is to stay on the computer all day, or how easy it is to not open up our mouths about something that matters, or stretch ourselves to actually see all that we can become. But after our District Leader texted us that quote the other day, I realized that it's never too late. So ya, we may have stayed on the computer all day yesterday-not us as in my companion and i hah..just people in general :p-but today, there is so much we can do that can be of such good worth. Whether it be just chillin outside of Target and looking for people whose carts you can take in for them. Every little thing that we do ups our potential and starts erasing more things on the list of things we don't feel we can do. Because we'll have more confidence in ourselves, and we'll see, really see, that if we're following the One who has no boundaries, our capabilities will have no boundaries.
  Anyway, it's been a good week, more or less !******* came to church on Sunday.. whoop WHOOPP ! hah I was so excited. SOOOO excited seeing her walk in. I have no clue HOW long it's been since she's been to church. But. Just like the quote says. She didn't let that phase her, and she came. And that was the most important part, and I imagine that that's the most important part to Heavenly Father too.. even though I can't speak for Him.
  ummm funny stuff that happened. Oh ! This isn't the first time this has happened in this mission.. but we had a lesson on Saturday.. at 1 p.m. that we had invited a member to come with us to.. by the way. shouts to ******* ! ..the member.. who's gonna be going to serve in Nicaragua.. tomorrow.! :p but we come up to the house, with an open garage door. So they're home right! So we walk up to the door and hear the t.v. inside and the family and stuff, and we knock. And one of the little daughters opens the door, and her mom asks who it is. So she tells her mom, "It's.. 3 ladies..!" and she goes and her and her mom are whispering, or something like that, and alll of a sudden. the door closes. hahaha. Sooo we're like. we have faith. maybe her mom's gonna come and open it back up. but instead!! The other kids are coming up to the window right by the door and looking through the blinds to look at us..and just laugh. and run away. hahaha !! Sooo. we knock again. justincase x). and then write a note, saying that we're sorry that we must have missed them. ha. hahaha. hah. howawkward.
  buuutt anyway. Other than that, everything's going well. Time keeps going by before my eyes. I just want all of these people to be happy. And it's hard when they don't see that life is going to beokay.. better than okay, if they just do what they need to. It's so easy, but at the same time it's so hard, just because we can't be strong alone. We really really need to help each other, at times more than ourselves if we're already fine, if that makes sense. But anyway. I love ya'll. B who you know you can be.
  que seas la persona que sabes que puede ser.
  la vida es tan cortita.. hay que aprovecharla verdad :) Portense bien :p
 
 
La Iglesia es Verdadera....
La Hermana B.