16 Months :O

February 15, 2016

Hola a todos!!!!!!!!!

Well, today I have officially completed 16 months in my mission and my companion completes 14 months. I'm in shock that time has gone by so fast haha! I don't even know what to say about it!

But this week was really good and really difficult haha (Another opportunity to progress, yes!) I know that right now it is only Feburary but I don't think Los Mochis knows that because summer has come back in full force! I think we were in about the 90's this week, ahhhhhh I thought I could come back home just a little bit white, but I think I am going to come back black XP

 Valentines was fun, entering the church with our investigator and her daughter, all the members handed us heart suckers and shook our hands and gave us hugs, wishing us a happy valentines day. A few members walked into our class of Gospel Principals and hung up a huge poster full of photos of missionaries, and it was a huge thank you note. Awwwwwwww I love this ward! They know how to make the missionaries feel loved here for Valentines day =)

All in all, this week has been good, I don't know why but I am just noticing a lot of changes in me and in the mission. I have been having many opportunities to teach and help other missionaries improve their teaching skills, and its just amazing to see how they change as well. I don't know why but I cant really describe how I feel right now, I'm just really happy, even when no one wants to open their doors for us and its about a 100 degrees outside, and everyone keeps throwing challenges at us, I am happy because I know this is where I am supposed to be =) And there is no where else I would rather be then in the work of my Padre Celestial =) I love this mission so much, I don't want it to end!!!!!!

A generation of Leaders.

Our Valentines Present.

El Libro De Mormon

August 24

This week has been a real testimony builder (There are no such things as bad days in the mission, there are good days and then there are amazing days!) These past few weeks our leaders have been really drilling us to use the Book of Mormon in every moment possible in our missions, especially in our lessons with our investigators (Which at times can be really hard here in Mexico because about 90 percent of the people here are catholic and only believe in the Bible). Wave been studying a toooooooon to apply the book of Mormon in every situation.

We have been teaching one investigator named Philpe, and he talks a TON, and I mean a TON! He just keeps talking, and talking. My companion and I were having a really hard time teaching him because we couldn't say anything. So One day I got the idea to teach our next lesson only with the scriptures (because he does not talk while we read a scripture) So the next lesson we pretty much read the plan of salvation to him from the book of Mormon (worked amazingly!) We were going to assign him a part of the book of Mormon to read for the next lesson but he told us he lost his glasses, and could not get another pair of glasses until the next week, so he couldn't read it. So we told him we would read it with him the next appointment.

Haha at the following appointment, we started reading the chapter with him and every time we read off a name he would say "Oh Nephi was the prophet that built a boat and had two bad older brothers..." we looked at him in shock wondering how he knew all of that and he told us that after we read the book of Mormon with him he felt that it was really important that he read it, so he searched for the audio version on YouTube and listened to it until 3:00 in the morning. Haha!! I could not believe it!! Me and my companion left his house with big grins on our faces =D ¡ESCOGIDO!!!!!!

I Know that the book of Mormon is true and that it has a answer for every question we will ever have in our lives, this week we had a meeting and Hermana Munive told us about an experience her daughter had with the book of Mormon. Her daughter wanted to play a sport in high school and she couldn't decided if she wanted to play tennis or Volley Ball, and a Sister Missionary told her that she should ask God which one she should play and then look in the Book of Mormon for the answer. The first verse she will read will have the answer to her question. 

So her daughter prayed and opened the Book of Mormon to a random page and put her finger on a verse that was about a war between the Lamanites and Nephites. She ponder the verse for a few minutes and said, that she had to play volley ball. 

Her mom asked her how this verse had the answer for the question, and her daughter simply said "The Nephites and Lamanites are like teams, fighting against each other, they are not just two people. And volley ball is in teams and with tennis we are alone, so the answer is volley ball" 

we got a laugh out of the story, but we were told to apply it, and I have applied this method a ton this week and have got a answer for every question. This Book just became more amazing for me! I know if we pray, read and ponder the scriptures we will have an answer for everything and we will receive guidance for every trial we will have in our lives. I invite you all to pray and read the Book of Mormon with questions in mind and I promise you will receive an answer =)

Love you all!!! Have an amazing week!!!!

Love Hermana Orison =)

Baptism Photo with my District (Foto de un Baptismo con mi distrito)

Awkward day =P

July 20th

HOOOOOOOOLA!!! MIS AMIGOS!!!!!!! Wow I cant believe it is P-day already! Time goes by so fast here =O

This week has been a little weird, first I will talk about the most funny/awkward day I have had in my entire mission:

1. We were eating lunch with family, and it was dead silence at the table. I tried asking questions to get them to talk and the family would just say "yes" or "no" or "grunt" and we sat there in silence the whole lunch XP and when we left my companion said "That has been our most awkward moment for today"

2.We went to visit a family of members (Part of our mission is to take care of the members too) and we went to teach them a lesson and me and my companion were not sure what to teach because we had not planned on visiting them. We settled in and started asking a few questions to figure out what we needed to teach, it went like this:

us:"How are your prayers going? Do you pray as a family?"

family:"yep, we pray every morning and night together."

us:"Oh wow! Felicidades! Are you reading the scriptures too?"

Family: "Yep! We read a chapter of the book of Mormon every morning together and a chapter individually in the night"

us:"Seriously? Wow! well, how are you family home evenings?"

Family: "We have them every Monday at 6:00"

us:"wow...well..." We could not think of anything to teach them! They were perfect and we were in a awkward silence for about 1 minute and I finally just yelled "Ah! You guys are perfect! We don't need to teach you anything!" they laughed and started being humble telling they had stuff to work on and yah.

and when we went to leave the house, I asked if they knew anyone we could visit and the dad pulled out his phone and gave me a name, address and phone number right there! Yep, I thought I was dreaming. The family was perfect, I am pretty sure if every family was like them we would not need missionaries haha.

We left the house and my companion said "nope, that was more awkward then lunch"

3. We were contacting people in the street and we contacted a woman and her husband in front of their house. We asked if we could share a message with her, and she said "of course! Come sit with us!" so we happily sat down at the table with them, excited to share a message with them. The lady told us that her husband had Alzheimer's, so don't be worried if he yells or something like that. 

So we explain to her about our purpose as missionaries and we pulled out our himnarios to sing a hymn when her husband lets one rip right there. Yes, he farted.

The lady elbows him and says "shhh, they are trying to share a message about Jesus to us!" me and my companion were trying so hard not to laugh. We began singing, and got about half way through and just bursted out laughing. We could not hold it in anymore, and then the lady starts laughing with us not knowing why we a laughing.

Yeah leaving the lesson my companion said "Okay! This is the most awkward moment for the day! Yah! No more!" hahahah

What else happened this week? 

I had to teach the district meeting Tuesday, And I accidentally went Elder Holland on my district and went 20 minutes over time,(time flies by when your receiving revelation) and when I finally ended and went to apologize to my district leader for going over time he said "That was awesome! I wanted you to keep talking! Im going to ask you to teach in the district meetings more often!" yay! 

Perla is now teaching lessons with us!!! Whoow!!! The best part about helping people be baptized is watching them grow after the Baptism =D I love working with converts they are the best!!! 

We have had so much fun teaching and learning about families this week. Honestly, if you put your family first and everything else after it, life is so much easier! I know as we think about eternal goals and what decisions will benefit us for the future instead of what we want "now", we will be more happy and have more peace in this life and for eternity. =) 

 I just got an email from my other companion in Mochis, Two of the families I was working with before just got Baptized!!!!! =D Whoow!!! I LOVE THE MISSION!!!! =D

Flash Back!

Hola everyone! Don't have too much time today, so I am making this quick:

This week has been pretty fun, I had the opportunity to go on swaps with my Mom!! Hermana Alfaro!!!! You have no idea how weird it is to teach with your trainer 7 months after your training! (I'm freaking out! I almost have 10 months in my mission :O

Haha it was weird but fun teaching with her. Our teaching styles are a lot alike and we almost ended up repeating each other at times. Being able to teach her investigators with her was the best! It showed me how much I have progressed in my mission =) It is sad, this is her last transfer in her mission, so this will be the last time I will be able to teach with her =(

We had a mission activity this week, but with another ward. Our mission president sent all the missionaries that are on this side of Obregon, to go to this ward activity that was in my Church here!! It was awesome! I got to see some people from my first area!! I could actually talk to them!! WHOOW!!!

For the activity they gave each companionship a map and a list of less actives to visit and they put us with a companionship of members. Oh I am so glad we had members with us because it was not our area and maps of Mexico don't help for nada!

But we ended wandering around looking for houses for 2 hours! And we only found houses where no one was home or no one lived there. We had a little hope as we knocked on the last house of our list. But when we knocked a guy opened the door with a big smile,

 "Ah the missionaries! do you want to come in?"

"well, yeah" I said

"Pass in! But I'm going to warn you it is a little messy in here." He said opening the door for us, and we saw tools and all sorts of stuff all over his tables and floor. We had to hop over stuff to get to the couch.

A movie was blasting and the house smelt weird, my companion was asking me if this was a good idea we both had a little weird feeling, we had two members with us and the younger girl was looking really nervous.

I said a little prayer in my head asking God if wanted us to leave or stay. I got the impression to stay in the house. So we stayed, and I asked a few inspired questions and the guy ended up telling about how his dad had died a few years back and his mom had moved away, and he had started getting into some bad stuff but some friends helped him out of that situation and he was now attending the catholic church. but just a few weeks back his life started falling apart again.

We ended up teaching him about prayer and about the plan that God has for all of us, and that we are able to live with our families forever through this gospel. The spirit was so strong! He ended saying the prayer and it was so powerful! and I am so excited to say that he attended church the next day =) I felt like God had put us there in the right place at the right time =) I love this mission!!!!! =D

 Love Hermana Orison

Life in Obregon

So I am loving it here in Obregon! We have an awesome area and an awesome ward that is realllllllly huge, there our four pairs of missionaries working in this ward and we are the only sister missionaries here, WHOOW!!!

So Ill give you a few details of what its like here:

• To get out of our house every morning we have to jump over our neighbors huge pig, petunia, who lays at the bottom of our stairs everyday. My companion usually runs screaming when the pig starts following her haha (it likes to nip people, I think I am going to get Swine Flu hehe)

•  The buses here don't stop! haha I always have fun trying to jump on moving buses, I missed that part about Obregon, Love the adrenaline rushes you get here =D

• Church starts at 8 in the morning in this area...haha and I thought it was hard getting investigators to attend the 9 o'clock XP but we did have a miracle this Sunday. We had 3 investigators attend church, and 2 of them we contacted Saturday. I am so excited to teach them!!!! XD

• Funny Story: So at the beginning of my mission I went on swaps with another missionary and I worked a day in the area that I am in right now. So I know a few of the people here.

We went to share a message with a member Tuesday, and I realized I had taught her about 7 months ago, and Hermana Ake went to introduce me to her

Hna Ake: "Hermana this is my new companion hermana Oris-"

Member: "I know who she is! Ive met her before! I was hoping you would be transferred her!!"

Me: "uh what?"

Member: "When you taught us last time and left our house, my son (who isn't a member) was standing outside and watched you leave and came running into the house and said "Mom! Did the missionaries visit you? There is a new missionary and she is really beautiful!" and I have been hoping you would come back so you could teach him and motivate him to come to church"

Haha yeah it was awkward, I didn't know how to respond and my companion just laughed at me. People we teach are supposed to go to church to get closer to God, not me! XP

So I have a request of everyone who reads this email, one of our investigators is having a hard time identifying her answer of the Book of Mormon, and me and my companion have testified of allll of our experiences of the Book of Mormon, but I think our situations were different then hers is. I was wondering if you could each write me about one of your experiences with the Book of Mormon, how did you come to know that it is true? What was your answer? What did you feel when you prayed? This is your homework assignment! hehe =)

Love you all!!! Have an awesome week!!! =D

Hermana Orison

Transfers

Whoow! This week has been an exciting one, first we had a seventy visit us this week! We gained sooooo much inspiration from the conference we had with him! It was amazing =)

Yesterday we received transfer calls...Me Voy! I am now back in Obregon! Last night I was trying to run to every bodies houses to say goodbye to them. It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone, I had five whole months in Los Mochis and had some awesome memories and experiences there that I will never forget.

About three hours ago I arrived on the bus in Obregon, and my new companion is Hermana Ake, I AM SUPEEEEEER EXCITED TO WORK HERE!!!! I love Obregon!! (even though it is about 130 degrees here haha) I Super excited to be back =D I know changes are hard, but without them there would be no way to improve and become better, I am really excited for the change =)

Have a good week everyone!! And Happy Fathers day to all those fathers out there =D

 

 

 Last day with Hermana Serrano and my our new pet XD

 

Love,

Hermana Orison

Ejercicio

Bueno!!!!

This past week has been a little fun, we had a meeting with the President this week and he made us do exercises!! Haha, I did not see that one coming. Imagine at least 30 missionaries the church doing squats and yoga (in suits and skirts!!). They are trying to give us more exercising routines to do in the morning haha, everyone walked out the church so sore =P, but pumped!!! 

 It made my week when I had the chance to see all the missionaries that were in the MTC with me!! We have not seen each other for so long, and it was so awesome talking to each other in spanish! 

I don't have to much time to write today, but I love you all! Please have a fantastic week! =D

Love,

Hermana Orison

Its getting HOT in here!!!

Whoow! This week was a lot of work and some miracles too =)

• We got to paint a house this week! Which was a ton of work! A fun fact about Mexico, all of the houses here are made out of concrete! (haha everyone tells me its weird that we build our houses out of wood). So here in Mexico people paint the outside of their houses all the time (that's why there are blue,pink, yellow, and a load of colorful houses) So we went to the house thinking we were just going to paint it but found out that we had to scrape all the paint off first. So what started as a 2 hour job turned into a 5 hour job!  But, at least I got to wear jeans and the little old me was happy haha =D

• Danny and Luis were BAPTIZED!!! =D Okay, so they are not my investigators, but I have had to teach them a lot with my Sister Training Leaders. They have been learning about the Gospel for four months now, and it has been so amazing to watch them grow with the gospel. Haha, they remind me of when I was an investigator, we are so much alike! It's crazy! That's why my sister training leader would pull me aside and tell me to go talk with them, she would always tell me "They are not as sassy with you as they are with me, go talk to them" haha. Their Baptism definitely was the miracle I needed this week and I am excited to say they are preparing for missions, whooooow!!!! I am so proud of them =D

• The temperature has been between 105 and 110 this week, haha working in this weather truly has not been easy, and I feel it is a miracle that I am still alive XD! Everyone keeps telling me its just going to keep getting hotter because it is only June, whoow! BRING IT ON!!! 

I love you all!! And I hope the weather is fantastic wherever you are! Have an awesome week =D