Rule #1 DON'T Pray for Humility

March 21, 2016

SO I will start off with this. Claudia and Fransisco are AWESOME!!! They received the Holy Ghost yesterday. They really are so prepared to be members. Fransisco is going to get the priesthood and get a calling in the stake as a scout director, something that they have been praying for for a long time! HOW amazing! GOD answers prayers!!!! They are a young family and have a 3 year old boy named Augustine, and he is my boyfriend. We always go to his house and we have to listen to Lion King before we can share a message. We watched the Restoration with them last night and they invited their friends! HOW AMAZING!!!! I love working with the people here!!!!

Brenda, now this is a MIRACLE OF THE WEEK!!!, is a 26 year old. She has been investigating the church for a while. She shared with missionaries like 2 years ago and they didn´t get past the Word of Wisdom. But now we have taught her the law of chastity and Word of Wisdom and we helped her resolve some problems. When I say we I mean Me and my comp and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. So we can only meet with her once or twice a week and only the weekends. But she accepted EVERYTHING! When we talked about her baptismal date for 10 de abril she literally said: "Hermanas that's really far away. Can we change the date?" and if everything goes well she is getting baptized on SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never had anyone change dates forward! We have shared with her for only a month and she is progressing like crazy! She is a referral from members so that's why she is so DANG AWESOME!!!!

Cristian is a joven (youth) of 15 años.(years) He is really awesome too! He is a referral too!!! And he as well is going to get baptized this Sunday. He thinks WAY too much and is really smart and nice. I can really say that I know I am here to help him specifically. He has investigated like all the religions. He feels really really good in the church and has lots of really really good questions.

Now here comes the humility part. I did my first mini cambio as a Sister Training Leader. I went to the other sector and the people asked me if I was new. And not because I was new to the sector, but they told me I couldn´t speak Spanish and that I wasn´t really acting like a missionary that has been out for over a year. And it didn´t stop there....In my own sector the contacts were really pesado (intense)....Hardly anyone understood me. A few people would call me and ask to talk to my companion because they didn´t want to talk to me. And I will stop there cuz its bringing back traumatic memories ;) But don´t worry. Hermana Romero said some really amazing things. I was at the point of crying and giving up. I just wanted to call and talk to someone that would understand...and luckily I have the best companion and friends, Hermana Romero and Hermana Miner. I told Hermana Romero that day that I was having a hard time and that I needed help (yeah  that was my point of humility....) And she explained that she knew I was having a hard week. We talked, She let me cry (not a lot I promise) and then we made a plan to not let Satan take control. And she gave me the best advice ever, she said in ENGLISH: "Have you prayed for humility? I will tell you something, DON´T PRAY FOR HUMILITY. okay?" I love her. Best advice ever! ;)

 

Today at the beach we were taking photos. I was crouching down and suddenly a wave comes and my bottom got wet and my name tag got washed away in the ocean. I screamed because it was SOOOOOO cold. And all the elders laughed....yeah pretty humiliating, but makes for some great stories!

Happy Easter! Hope you can all take a minute to think about Christs Sacrifice for you and what it means. I know that Christ loves us. He did everything for us. He even DIED for us. And I know with all my heart, without a doubt, that HE LIVES. I love the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Uno because it is la iglesia verdadera (the true church), y segundo because We have a LIVING CHRIST. He directs this church and we all can live and have a second chance. That is my favorite thing to share with people. That if they can just choose to follow Christ they will find their second chance at the life they want, and that God wants for them.

Con muchísimo amor del otro lado del mundo;) (With much love from the other side of the world)

Hermanita Poulson

oops! I accidentally deleted the draft...

March 14, 2016

Well I just deleted my email...and I don't have time to write it again...

This week we did lots of work. 

We had the baptism of Claudia y Fransisco. They are so awesome. They are so ready to be members of the church. Actually we are helping them to prepare to go to the temple in April. They are soooo cute! 

WE are working with a few others. Brenda is like a sister. She has tons of problems with Palabra de Sabiduria (Word of Wisdom) but she is really awesome. We are also working with Cristian, a 15 year old that really has the mind of a 22 year old. HE IS SO SMART. He is searching for something more in his life. He has come to church for 2 months now and has investigated whatever church there is in the world. But he feels really comfortable in the church, which is what the spirit is telling him. Also we are working with his parents. IT was a miracle. Sunday night we went to have a lesson with him, but he wasn't there. We felt like we needed to stay and talk to his parents. His dad wants nothing to do with religion, but guess what! We did some good old how to begin teaching and we found his need! He feels like he is missing something. THE GOSPEL OBVIOUSLY!!! It was really good and we left the house spiritually uplifted! Aww it was so awesome!

I think that is all. I had a lot more to say. In fact my other email´s title was called "a weeks worth of writing ..." but now I guess you'll just have to deal with the little paragraph that I sent!

Hermanita Poulson

Splits, Spirit and Success

March 7, 2016

So it's my second full week here in Copihues Chillan. And I love it!!! This ward is awesome, there are so many great members. We actually have lots of success here!! My companion and I are trying our best to be obedient and work hard. My companion is known as the hardest worker in the mission...

We had a really really crazy experience...so Hermana Romero almost died this week. She got really really sick on Monday but we kept working all week because we have cualquier persona para visitar (many people to visit)...which was a really really bad idea. I know how she feels...it's hard to be sick because you know it's not just you, it's your companion, the investigators and really it's Gods time so you don´t want to waste it. Finally we made it to Friday and she felt sick in the afternoon so we took it easy but we left with a sister that just got back from MEXICO!!!! (more about that in a bit). Saturday I thought she died on me...she slept until 5 and I left at 5:30 to do splits with a member. I left her in the house (with someone of course) and then left with the same sister, Hermana Elba Bustos, to visit all our people and try to find. I AM NEW TO THE SECTOR and I prayed a LOT to find where in the world I was! Heavenly Father heard and answered my prayers and I found the investigators house and the other citas que tuvimos. (appointments that we had)That was my great experience with splits. 

My comp ended up going to the emergency center (it was free, so the care wasn't all that great) and they hooked her up to an IV. But now she lives. AHHH I was so so so so worried that she wasn't okay. It's crazy how much you care about people and how lonely I felt without my compi!!! Never want to go through this again;)

We had a special conference with Presidente and the assistants. It was all about the theme of the Mission, Enseñar Arrepentimiento y Bautizar Conversos. (Teaching Repentance and Baptizing Converts) I felt the spirit so strong. We broke up into groups and taught them about 5 key points: The Missionary Purpose, Teaching with the Spirit, Working with members, Compromisos y verificacion, and Repentance and baptism. Then all the missionaries asked questions, like deep questions and it was really really spiritual. I had to answers questions about how we can invite people to repentance and stuff every lesson. I just wanna share my thought (what the spirit taught me in that moment). We all need repentance, in PME it says that people won't change unless we invite them. So what we need to do is invite them to make the changes and then testify about Christ. I have learned sooo sooo much about the Atonement and I know without a doubt that the only way we can truly change is if we let Christ and His atoning sacrifice change us. I know that I am not the same person that I was before the mission. I have changed and become more devoted and more converted to the gospel of Jesuscristo. And that is what inspires me to repent everyday. We all need DAILY REPENTANCE and the commitment to come closer to Christ. 

SIDE NOTE, You all need to see the Easter video. I LOVE IT!!! I love that scripture in Corinthians, that we all are made alive through CHRIST!!! AHHH I LOVE IT!!!!!

I just wanna leave you all with my inspirational thought of the week, it comes from an elder here in the mission. "If God wants results he can get results. What he really wants is for us to CHANGE and to COME CLOSER TO HIM." So I can promise you that whatever trial you are facing is for a purpose. And He is going to help you through it.

 

I LOVE YOU LOTS!!!

Besitos Y sonrisas,

Hermanita Poulson

Conferences and Trainings, that's what life's about...

February 29, 2016

I never never never thought this day would come! I am back in Chillan!!! (her very first area Bulnes, was close to Chillan, they would go grocery shopping in Chillan on P-days) WOHOOO. I don´t have much to write about my sector since I only know like 1/4 of it...but I will tell you what I do know, 

My companion is AMAZING!!! She is Hermana Romero from Mexico!!! She is a convert of 2 years. She is going home in May. We are doing very well, or at least I think so. We are teaching in Unity and we have only been together for a week. We found a couple investigators and all of them accepted fecha, which is amazing. We had 5 investigators con fecha en la iglesia y otros sin fecha. (with a baptismal date at church and others without a date) Wow I feel like I have LOTS TO DO. 

I live with 2 other sisters from another sector in Chillan. Hermana Dominguez from Mexico and Hermana Diaz from Canada, she is half Latina. In my Hermana Group there are 4 other sisters, Hermana Ovando, Hermana Farnsworth, Hermana MINER (YAY I AM SO HAPPY!!!!) and Hermana Guymon (she is NEW). But I love it. Really my life is not any different than any other missionary. It's the same, just being an example no mas and going to conferences and doing mini cambios with other sisters. I will start those next week.

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We had a very spiritual baptism yesterday! I really can´t explain how it was. She was so happy and smiling and I wish you could have seen her face. She was filled with the spirit! I love Hermana Margarita!!!! 

This week I woke up early EVERY day to go to Concepcion or some other meeting. But it is all worth it!! Several missions here in South America had a SPECIAL conference from Elder Bednar. He is my favorite!!!  We had to prepare by reading a series of talks, ASK IN FAITH, CONVERTED UNTO THE LORD, and SEEK LEARNING BY FAITH. I invite you all to read them. They are Amazing talks and have inspired a lot of my mission from here on out! I want my investigators to find their own conversion, as well as my family and friends and future family! I don't have enough time to share all my notes. But the most important thing I learned is that when I go to a fireside or a devotional or a conference, I need to take notes on my SMALL plates of Hermana Poulson, and not the LARGE plate. That means pay attention to the spirit and what the spirit says to me instead of just writing down exactly what the speaker says. GRACIAS ELDER BEDNAR!!!!

Also I had a new leaders conference and talked a lot about the need to be an example. God can do all things. He will help me in my weaknesses. I found a quote in PME, “There is no more compelling work than this, nor any which brings greater satisfaction. … We challenge you to rise to a new sense of commitment to assist our Father in Heaven in His glorious work.” I know that is true. I love my calling to serve as a missionary. I know Heavenly Father has a plan for his work. I know that I am the happiest I have ever been and it's because I have found the satisfaction of committing myself to serve the Lord with all my HEART, MIGHT, MIND AND STRENGTH. 

Yeah that's about it from me. Just know that I love you all and that I know that no matter what you are going through this gospel will help you. This week I witnessed so many miracles and in every lesson there was the spirit. I don´t want to live a day of my life without the spirit. Please live the gospel so that you can have the spirit with you!!!

Besitos a todos!

Hermanita Poulson