Letter #41 - Christlike Love - 8.12.2015
Hi,
Another great week here in Los Huertos. Congrats to the newly wed couple! I loved see all the pictures of the wedding and to see you all in California. It looks like it was a great trip. I hope that Connors birthday was great. You were in my mind all day on the 4th. I love you. You're so old now. Dad! Now it is your turn. Happy Birthday. You are the wisest man I know and I love you so much. I hope to be like you one day.
I got my hair cut today. My first time in 9 months because I was too scared to get my haircut from some haircuts I've seen before. But I did it! My hair is dead, and it is so blonde. I have no idea how because the color growing in is a lot darker, its an adventure. Hahaha- The one time I don't live in a country where blonde hair is normal is when my hair is bright blonde. We live about 20 minutes from the beach in a bus. We almost went today. But i haven't seen it. I love my ward here with all my heart. They are so great. I just feel so much more in place in this ward. I love it!
(Nicole didn’t have any pictures this week so I added some pictures of the native Chilean people that I find interesting -jp)
This week we did service and helped an old man in the ward who is starting to have problems taking care of himself. We cleaned out his house and it made me so sad. Grandpa was so blessed. A lot of old people in Chile don't have anyone to take care of them. We found an inch of dirt on his ground, 25 flies, bugs in his cups, and 3 dead mouse. It was so sad to know he was living like that. He was so sweet too while he was cleaning he went and bought us food and juice and then gave it to us. I had a mid-mission crisis this week as I finished my first half of my mission. I started erasing markings in my scriptures so that I would look like a newer missionary again. hahaha I actually just marked some scriptures too much so they were bugging me, but Hermana Stevenson calls it my mid- mission crisis.
We are teaching a woman named Nancy and her 4 kids and they all listen so well! We prayed and fasted that her schedule would change so that she can come to church, and miraculously she is looking for a new job! When she told us that I said to her "We were fasting so you'd be able to come to church and God has made a way for you to. It isn't the way we thought but, it is a miracle." Then she said, "Yes, it is, I need to come." She is planning on coming this Sunday. I am really excited for them, because she believes in a lot of the doctrines of the church already and recognizes the plan of salvation.
I am continually learning on my mission that The Lord holds or gives blessings perfectly so that we can change what we need to in our lives. I am learning that I really need to love people and that love is the most important law we can live. I learned this with a scripture I have read a hundred times.
Doctrine and Covenants 130 v 20 y 21
20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
it is talking about one law...
Matt. 22 v 36 through 39
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
I invite you all to do what i am trying to do this week, to use love as my motivation. To put my love for others first. I know that when you do it and find ways to love others more that is when all other blessings will be poured into your lives.
Love,
Hermana Pemberton