It's been a successful week!!

Nacho got baptized!! After lots of weeks and months of preparing. He's made lots of changes in his life... getting married... quit smoking.. and many more. Him and Alma both look so much happier already!! :) Many members went to support them. Their 8 year old niece Andrea was also baptized! She wore my white clothes. 

It's been interesting this week to see so much progress with our investigators and in the ward because the past two weeks I've been sick and we haven't been able to work at our usual speed. We've learned that the Lord truly knows our hearts and intentions and knows that we have been doing all that we can. He only asks for our all. If we give him our best he will make up for the rest. And health wise I am doing better by the way. Not completely better yet but getting there. Good thing I extended so I have a few more weeks to get healthy before I come home :)

We met Maricela this week and had the coolest experience with her. She contacted us and asked if we were the English teachers because she saw a sign we had left. She said she would like to learn English but works during the hour we give classes. We said we would teach her at her house if she would like. We got there already feeling like we were going to teach the gospel instead of English and we did. 

She explained to us her story of how she had a dream in which her dead grandma who she loved so much told her to go take care of her uncle which is why she moved. Her and her grandma were always really close but she told us she didn't know why she was here but feels like God and her grandma sent her. When she realized we were Mormons she said her grandma was also a member of the church. It was a really sweet experience. We told her that was why she was here to find the church. She started to cry. After reading about the restoration she let us in with a big smile and said she was just like Joseph Smith and now she's found the truth. She doesn't have much but gave us these huge bottles of natural honey :) Adorable. Sad this is my last week in the area and won't be able to teach her for much longer.

We are working to finish reading the Book of Mormon together out loud in Spanish before this week is up! We are scheduled to finish on time. This past week we read and spend some time pondering all the miracles that Christ did in the Americas and the incredible faith of the people there. He wasn't able to do such marvelous things in front of the people in Jerusalem. Only few people saw Him as a resurrected being but in the Americas he presented himself to many. Many touched the nail prints in his hands and his feet and bore testimony of his reality. I was left meditating of all the many miracles the Lord can do in my life if I only have faith in Him.

At the Visitor's Center 7-19-15

My faith has grown so much these past several months as a missionary and the best thing about our faith is that there is always room for more growth. It will constantly grow as we keep doing all that the Father expects of us and recognizing his hand in our daily lives.

At the Visitor's Center 7-22-15

Happy Birthday to Miranda this Friday! Hope its a good one. I love you and miss you and will make you a mexican treat when I get home. Tacos? haha arroz con leche mejor :) Or some limon pie. Or flan. There's some pretty good mexican postres. 

Also I found one of our ancestor stories in the July Liahonna this week. About Ira and Wealtha Hatch. Pretty sweet right? Talks about her faith to be baptized in a freezing icy river and deciding not to wait til summer to get baptized. And then about how they left their home and helped build the temple. Pioneer day on Friday we watched the Legacy movie during the food. The members put it in. :) It was a fun little celebration. It's short and finished right as we finished eating.

That's probably enough for now! Everything is going so well here. I love being a missionary and and cherishing every last moment I have :) It is an exciting time here with the temple opening up soon :) Next week I will be writing on Wednesday and probably no longer here in Moctezuma. Love you all lots! Have a good week!

Con amor,

Hermana Rhoten

Today we went to a mercado and then made chocolate chip cookies with our convert Alisson and her cousin Frida. That's what the last picture is from :) They didn't turn out quite right... but they still tasted good! 

Well it was a little bit of a trying week being sick

but today I am feeling much better and hoping it stays that way. I think this week was the most sick I've ever been on my mission or I've just forgotten the other times. That's the cool thing about the mission. There are so many good times and miracles that it makes you forget the trials.

One big lesson I learned this week is how much the Savior loves me. How much He loves each and every one of us. I was able to feel His love through so many people this week. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers and that He knows me personally.

I have also learned that the best medicine is teaching the gospel. There is so much joy that comes from sharing the gospel and feeling the Holy Ghost testify through your words. It makes me so happy and I started to think a little bit this week of how I am going to be able to feel the same Spirit in my life even when I am not teaching the gospel full time. I will have to be anxiously engaged in a good cause and strive constantly to be worthy of his presence but I worry it won't be the same.

Our investigator Raul is progressing so well and is ready for his baptism this Sunday. He is an older man and has been so prepared to receive the gospel. He loves reading the Book of Mormon and remembers every detail. Sometimes I think he has taught us more that we have taught him. He is golden.

Nacho is getting so close to his baptism. He has gone from about 20 cigarettes a day to 1 or 2. We keep praying he can drop it. He has already made so many changes in his life in getting married and goes to church even after working the night shift as a taxi driver. We are still on a chocolate fast until he drops it but its been pretty easy since I've been sick and wouldn't be able to eat it either way haha.

Yesterday we went to the Visitor's Center with Valentin and his niece Angela. She has more than 2 months going to church now but still doesn't have permission to get baptized. Her mom wants her to wait longer. The good news is that today she left to EFY until Friday. We are hoping that she will come back with a strengthened testimony and stronger desire to be baptized and have the courage to talk to her mom about her desire with more certainty. It was fun in the CV with them because we were able to watch the video of Valentin there. It was a surprise for her.

My heart has been so full of gratitude this week for so many reasons. Sadly we weren't able to teach as many lessons as we would have liked but were still able to see good progress in the area and ward. We felt the love of so many members. Especially the family we live with. They were constantly checking up and even made me chicken noodle soup! It was the first time I've had that on the mission. So good. I can't even express how grateful I was for their many acts of service. My comp took a picture of one morning that they made me a rice drink with cooked apples and some toast. I actually ended up throwing it all up this day but it was still really good.  

Glad to hear everything is going well at home. Exciting that Mason turns 12 this week! Hope to be able to go do baptisms with him in the temple when I get back! They still have the Thursday morning session right? Hope Madison's knee gets better and isn't anything serious. Love you all! Have a good week!

Hermana Rhoten

The days are going by awfully fast! This week went really well.

We won another competition in the zone. This time it was inviting people to be baptized. It was really good practice for my comp and I to invite everyone possible to be baptized even after just teaching them a simple principle of the gospel. The zone leaders owe us breakfast now but we told them to wait until next week because I still can't eat much. But it's getting better and not worse so that's the good thing :) 

I'm so very grateful this week for the power of the Priesthood and the power of faith because even being sick I felt the strength to keep working hard each day. We never had to rest and our lessons were still taught with power and authority. We made some new contacting goals and spent all day everyday talking with as many people as possible.

I found this family from Tri-Cities that knows you.  She is connected to Kathryn somehow & her parents are the Colton's in our ward.

We also had interviews this week with President Anaya... and my hija is going to train!!!! Yep. Gonna be a grandma. Hermana Heywood is getting a new gringa comp after this transfer ends and I will be in a different area for my last two weeks. He said he's not quite sure yet but it sounds like I either will be in the Visitor's Center or very close to it because I will be working there. Sad to think I only have 3 more weeks here in Moctezuma and then leaving it over to my posterity. I really love this ward. We have seen so much progress here. 

The work keeps going on! Staying busy everyday. We learned lots about having the faith to find this week and were able to see many miracles in finding some new investigators. 

Pictures.. These kids completed their challenge of reading the kids version of the Book of Mormon in a month so we had to bring them their surprise. We actually just bought the pastel and then put the whip cream and berries so it looked all cute.

Claudia, Jose Luis and little Eliza live above us. They are awesome members and are excited to open up an herbal life business this next week in the airport so invited us up one night to share some shakes :) Pretty yummy.

Have a good week! 

Hermana Rhoten

Hola todos! Hope its been a good week.

Sorry I didn't get a chance to write much last week. I probably won't write all that much today either because I'm feeling a little sick but nothing that bad. I'm sure it will be gone by tomorrow :) Hopefully.

Happy Birthday to Grandma Hatch!! Hope it was a good one. 4th of July was good here. My comp and I went all out in our red white and blue but didn't really do anything other than that.

Big news of the week! Nacho and Alma finally got married!!!! We had set up the appointment and were able to go with them which was a fun experience. They seem really happy. We are super excited for them too. Now that they are keeping the law of chastity, we know they will see many blessings in their lives. He just needs to quit smoking so he can get baptized now. But he's getting really close.

Also Gerardo was baptized yesterday!!! It was a beautiful service. His cousin who just turned in his mission papers, baptized him. He was so prepared. He's 21 so we are hoping he decides to go on a mission next year. We both forgot our cameras so the pictures are on our zone leaders camera and I will send them next week. 

I went on divisions this week with Hermana Jones which was super fun to see her and see once again how much we have grown since the MTC. She is going home the 25th of this month so I was glad to get to see her.

The work here is going really well. I love being a missionary! Everyday I feel my faith in the Savior growing and His atoning power working in my life. He is my strength and my light. Yesterday my companion and I chose to do a gratitude fast and it was an incredible experience. We have so much to be grateful for. Love you all and hope you have a good week!!

Con amor,

Hermana Rhoten