¿Si lo que tù estàs haciendo no tiene consequenc​ias eternas, para què lo estàs haciendo?

 

My dear dear family! I hope all is well! It´s difficult to believe that yet another month has passed! I´m not sure exactly what happened to the month of November and it certainly doesn´t feel like December because the snow I´ve been praying for is yet to arrive ;) Perhaps the Lord is just teaching me patience :)

Well, this has been quite the week. To begin, on Wednesday my comp and I decided to go contacting after lunch. Our first contact . . . well, he actually contacted us. He was a young man named Julian who told us that he had recently converted to Christianity and was super enthusiastic about the Bible. I´m fairly certain that we covered every gospel topic while standing on the side of the road. And the funny thing is that he pretty much did all of the talking, it was difficult to get a word in. But I really enjoyed talking to him. I love the people that we meet here :) Then we decided to explore a new area that neither one of us had ever been in. I really like contacting that way because if I can get a little lost I tend to rely a little more on where the Spirit needs me to go rather than my own intuition :) Not to mention that it usually turns into an adventure haha. Well, we ended up turning down a little road . . . in which we encountered two dogs that I´m convinced were part bear. I was standing next to a door when one of the dogs jumped up against the fence and tried to eat me. In my panic to get away, I ended up leaning against another fence. Seconds later another bear, I mean dog, jumped against that fence and also tried to eat me. Needless to say, I jumped and ended up on the other side of the street. After recovering from my heart attack my comp and I headed to another house, laughing as usual :)

I believe I´ve mentioned that on almost every corner in Panamà there is a little store called a ´chino´ because it is always run by a Chinese family. Well, the ´´chinos´´ are notorious for being difficult to contact and not very receptive. So, our District Leader put a fun little goal for all of us to contact a chino. After my close encounter with the bears we headed to a chino. We began talking to the cashier. She looked as us with a confused look and told us that she doesn´t know any Spanish. We left a pamphlet with her and gave her our biggest smiles. . . .it´s the effort that counts right? About 1 minute after leaving the chino we were got in one of Panamà´s crazy rainstorm. We ran for shelter, but it only takes about 5 seconds to be completely soaked in these rainstorms. We waited it out for a while, but decided that we just needed to face it. I figured that we were already wet, so I decided to play around in the puddles/rivers on the side of the road. I may or may not have started splashing my comp who in return started splashing me as well. No harm done, we were already soaked :)

Now, for the spiritual side of things :) This week our entire zone had a ´´Noche Blanca´´. We all gathered together and had a total of 10 baptisms. President Carmack and his family were even able to attend. It was a beautiful experience. A young girl that we´ve been teaching, named Argelis, was able to be one of those that got baptized. While sitting there, I began to think a lot about the importance of enduring to the end. Baptism is an essential first step to living this gospel, but this gospel is not merely meant to be skimmed, or that is, lived only on the surface. This gospel is meant to become a life-style. We should accept it whole-heartedly and completely into our lives. It is then that it truly begins to enrich our lives and change us. This gospel is in the center of my life, it is a large part of who I am. I pray that each one who takes that essential step of baptism will truly accept this gospel into their lives and be able to see the blessings that their loving Heavenly Father has awaiting them. This is an eternal gospel, with promised and eternal blessings! Are we living for the eternities? I know that I want to live for the eternities because I know without a doubt that I can live with my Heavenly Father and my dear family FOREVER! Let us all make the effort to center our lives around those eternal promises! :)
I miss and love you all dearly!

Go forward with faith!

Hna Falslev :)

Hola

Hello my dear family! Yet another week here in Panama full of rain, sun, and miracles :) In all honesty, this has been an exhausting week, but I´ve been blessed to see the hands of the Lord in many ways this week as well. This Saturday a man named Artie Aguilar was baptized. To put it simply he is just so good. His faith is so strong and has taught me a lot. It has been clear to see that the adversary has been fighting extremely hard against this baptism because every step we took had interference. I´m physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted from fighting back, but the experience that we were able to have with this dear man has lifted me up spiritually. It´s been such a blessing and it has increased my love for this work and these people even more.

One of the smaller concerns that we had with Artie was that he would have to stop drinking coffee. He told us that he had tried to stop drinking it before, but he always had horrible headaches before. However, this man with incredible faith told us without hesitation, ´´I`ll stop, I´ll really do it´´ He received a priesthood blessing and the elder who gave it to him told him that it was dependent completely on his faith. I had no doubt that it wouldn´t be a problem for him. We visited him slightly before his baptism and he told us that he had no problem leaving coffee. He didn´t have any headaches or anything. Faith is such a powerful and beautiful principle!

Also, Artie loves the Book of Mormon! We had a wonderful experience when we first introduced it. We handed it to him and he simply looked at us with amazement. When we told him that it was his, he didn´t believe us. He just sat there and stared at it with awe for a while. He truly understands that this book is inspired by God, and he couldn´t believe that he could hold it in his hands. It made me think, how often do I take this sacred book for granted?

A few other little things from this week: I tried a Nicarraguan (sp?) dish the other day. It consists of yuka, chicharron (pig skin) and a spicy salad on top and you have to eat it with your hands. It was actually pretty good. Also, a pleasant little panamanian bug decided it was okay to bite me. It´s called a maya....I think. I´ve had a large mark on my leg the entire week. No worries . . . I´ve had it checked and it´s not fatal, merely ugly and extremely irritating.

Well, I don´t have much time this week, but know that I love you all and I love this gospel!

Go Forward with Faith,

Hna Falslev :)

6 Months

Hello my dear family! I hope you are all doing wonderfully :) Well, earlier this week I hit my six month mark! That seems so crazy to me! That means I´ve already finished a third of my mission, time is flying by so quickly!

I´ve learned a lot this week. I love that each week I feel like a better missionary, like the Lord is refining me more and more. As I learn more about how to teach and how to follow the Spirit I can be a greater blessing in the lives of those that I am serving.

Earlier this week I was reading an old conference talk (I don´t remember which) about the Spirit. The Spirit is so crucial to all that we do, not only as missionaries, but as Children of God with a goal to live with our Heavenly Father for eternity. I was thinking that if we have a goal to live in the sacred presence of God for the eternities, we better take advantage of the small pieces of divinity that we receive here on the earth. We have to become accustomed to having the Spirit with us at all times. We should always strive to have it with us and become comfortable with it because if we are not used to the Spirit I imagine that we will extremely uncomfortable in the sacred presence of a Deity. The Spirit is such a beautiful gift! I like to think of it as a piece of our true divine home that we get to have with us during our temporary existence on the earth. That´s why we feel so comfortable when we have the Spirit - it´s home :)

I believe I´ve already mentioned our investigator named Artie before. He is so good! He truly is just a good man, with a faith that I´ve never seen before. He has a 100% trust in God, he simply doesn´t doubt. He really has taught me a lot and inspires me to be better. Earlier this week, after a lesson, he looked up to the sky and said, ´´Heavenly Father, thank you for putting these angels in my path, I don´t know how to thank you´´ Moments like that are what make every minute of this mission worthwhile :)

I love this gospel with every ounce of my being, and I know without a doubt that it is true. I know my Savior, and I love Him.

I love and miss you all!

Go Forward with Faith!

Hna Falslev :)

No Subject

 My dear family!
 I love you all so much and hope you are all doing well :) It´s been a good week here in Tocumen. It amazes me that I already love the people here so much.
 We´ve been working with a less-active member who went through a difficult time with her family and has since completely cut-off her relations with the church. When we first began meeting with her I got the impression that she had a strong testimony of the gospel, but had become very cynical and closed-off. Each time that we´ve invited her back to church she says no, she´s not ready. We´ve been working to gain her trust and do all that we can to help her. This week we went to visit her. I could instantly see that her demeanor had changed. You might even say that she was looking forward to our visit. After sharing a short message and talking with her for a while, before we had even mentioned church, she said, ´´Hermanas . . . I´m going to go to church this Sunday . . . .I´m going to be there.´´ She seemed much happier and relieved. Like the burden that she had allowed to weigh her down for such a long time had finally been lifted. I´m really hoping to see her in church this Sunday. She´s such a good person, she simply needs to be loved and guided back to the gospel that she already loves. I´ve really enjoyed working with the less-active members in the wards that I´ve served in. They´re always wonderful people, you just have to show them a little bit of love :)
 Also, we´ve been teaching an older man named Artie. He has been battling Alzheimers for almost a year now, which sometimes makes it a little difficult to teach him. He rarely remember the things that we teach him, he even frequently forgets who Joseph Smith is, but he has one of the strongest testimonies that I´ve ever seen. He love the gospel! We´re working toward his baptism this Saturday. It´s just further evidence to me that the gospel of Jesus Christ overcomes the trials of the world.
 On Sunday I was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting about missionary work. It was a good experience. I spoke about how this work is not only for missionaries, it´s not just missionary work - it´s the work of the salvation of each and every child of God. I spoke about John 21:15-17 in which Christ explains that if we love Him we must ´´feed His sheep´´. We are so blessed to have this gospel in our lives. Each and every person needs to feel the relief and joy that we receive through this gospel. We have what they need. We have to share it. It is our responsibility to share the gospel, it´s what God expects of us. It´s a big work, but it´s the work of the Lord and if each member of the church is doing their part we will see miracles!
 I love this gospel so much! It´s a blessing in my life every day.
 I love and miss you all!
 Go Forward with Faith,
 Hna Falslev :)

CAMBIOS

Querida Familia!

Well, I found out last night that I´m going to have changes. I don´t yet know anything about my new area or my new companion. On Wednesday we make the long bus ride to Cardenas where each of the missionaries who have changes meet and await their fate :) After a short meeting they will tell us where we are going and who our companions are. I know that changes are inspired directly from our Heavenly Father. I recently re-read the talk ´´Come What May and Love It´´ by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. It is such a wonderful talk!! It has really helped me to develop my trust in my Father in Heaven and in His will. I love this talk because as we learn to accept the will of the Lord, we will eventually come to love it. We will understand that God truly has a plan for us and we can trust that it will always be the best for us. In this talk Elder Wirthlin mentions four steps to accepting and loving the will of the Lord. 1)LEARN TO LAUGH Laugther truly changes our perspective. A smile is one of the most powerful tools that we have. As we enter each situation with a smile and a positive attitude our eyes will be opened to the countless blessings that the Lord has for us 2)SEEK FOR THE ETERNAL God´s perspective is much grander than our own. As we widen our view we will gain a greater understanding of the trials and blessings that we are given. God has so much happiness planned for us--not only in this life, but in the eternities as well. 3)UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLE OF COMPENSATION The Lord compensates the faithful. If our eyes are single to the glory of God and we make living this gospel a priority, we will never lack. We will have all that we need....and more. The plan of God promises much more than mere contentment and comfort, we are promised eternal JOY! We will be compensated for any sacrifice that we make to follow the will of the Lord. 4)PUT OUR TRUST IN OUR HEAVENLY FATHER AND JESUS CHRIST If all else fails - TRUST. Trust in our loving Heavenly Father and patiently wait for Him to enlighten our understanding. As we accept the will of the Lord we are demonstrating our love for Him and telling Him that we trust Him. We are imperfect, but the Lord is without fault. We can trust that His will and His plan for us are flawless as well. Trusting can be easier said than done, but I know that all will be well as we exercise our trust in our Beloved Savior.

Well my dear family, I love you all so much. You are each some of the grandest blessings that my Heavenly Father has granted me. Thank you for the support and the examples that you all are. Much love :)

Go Forward With Faith,

Hna Falslev :)

Oh....and HAPPY HALLOWEEN :)

The Work Is Moving Forward

Dear Family!

This has been a great week, and I´ve been blessed yet again to see miracles from my Heavenly Father. The highlight of my week was on Friday, when I was able to accompany Leandro and Maxima, two recent converts that I´ve mentioned before, to the temple as they entered for the first time to do baptisms. I was asked to help in the baptistry as a worker, so I was able to watch as they both entered the baptismal font. Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks as I was blessed to watch them take part in temple work and see the joy on their faces. This gospel has truly changed them. Maxima is a different person completely, always smiling. Afterwards, we were able to talk to them about the rest of the work that is done in the temple, the sacred work that seals families together forever. They still are working faithfully towards the goal of being sealed in the temple next August. I hope that I´ll be in an area close enough to the temple that I can attend.

Also, I was so excited that they asked me to help out as a temple worker. I loved it! And it really made me want to work as a temple worker, especially in the baptistry when I get home. I love the temple!!

This Sunday my heart almost burst with joy as I watched two inactive members walk into sacrament meeting. One is a mother of 3 who hasn´t attended church for years. We´ve been visiting her for so long, and she finally came to church and brought two of her children with her :) The other is a 17 year old named Victor who hasn´t been to church for about a year. He used to always leave when we came to visit his house (we have lunch there with his mother every Friday), but he slowly started to talk to us. And now he makes sure that he´s there every time. He has really started to trust us. He suddenly started coming to the ward activities and we were shocked when we saw him walk into sacrament meeting on Sunday.

I could physically see the change in these members faces. As they are beginning to once again live the gospel and accept it fully into their lives, I can see the light and the happiness illuminating their lives. It brings me so much joy! I have developed a deep love for both of them as I´ve visited their houses and beared my testimony to them.

I know that this is the work of the Lord and that He is very heavily involved in all of it. He is moving His work forward and blessing the lives of His beloved children more and more each day. My heart is full of gratitude that he´s given me the opportunity to be even a small part of it. I love this gospel and I love my Heavenly Father.

Love and miss you all lots!
Go Forward With Faith,

Hna Falslev :)

(no subject)

Well, it´s been yet another week full of many miracles and many blessings. This week many of the less-actives, recent converts, and investigators that we´ve been working with attending church on Sunday. One in particular that I was excited about is named Ramon Carrillo. He´s a recent convert and he´s been having a lot of difficulties lately. We haven´t been able to talk to him for quite a while now for various reasons. Finally we were able to find him and talk to him on Friday and invite him to a group activity that night. AND HE CAME! He later told me that the spiritual message in the activity was a very direct and clear answer to his prayer. He was so happy :) Then he came to church on Sunday too!! He´s such a wonderful person who has one of the most contagious smiles I´ve ever seen; he simply needs to make some changes in his life. It´s truly been miraculous to see the Atonement of Jesus Christ at work in this man´s life. I´ve learned so much about the beauty of the Atonement as I´ve seen this man apply it. This gospel is incredible!

So after church on Sunday we had to walk through a monster of a rainstorm.....like there aren´t words to describe this torment. The six missionaries in our ward arrived at our lunch appointment completely drenched. In situations like that you really can´t do anything other than go with it and laugh about it afterward.
We spent a lot of our time this week working on a service project. A member asked if we could help him to clean a house. We thought that would be a simple enough project and happily accepted the invitation to help. We arrived to find out that he is actually completely renovating a house that should probably just be destroyed. It turned into a week-long project. The house has already come a long way, but not without many hours of hard manual labor. After the first day, after 9 straight hours of scrubbing and scraping we returned to our house. I walked in, dropped my bag, and layed down on the floor. I physically couldn´t move. We were all so exhausted! I can honestly say that I´ve never been so exhausted in my entire life. I do enjoy the service projects however, and they truly are one of the best ways to share the gospel :)
 One last thing . . . I read a talk this week that really changed the way that I look at the gospel. I´m going to include the link and suggest that you all read it if you can.
 http://www.lds.org/new-era/2012/08/his-grace-is-sufficient?lang=eng Much love to you all!
Go forward with faith!
Hna Falslev :)

Buenas!

Well, first things first, we had changes last Wednesday. I'm still serving in my dear Santa Librada, but I have a new companion. Her name is Hna Salguero and is from Guatemala as well. She only has 3 months in the mission, so we're learning together :) She told me that she was really nervous when she found out that she was going to have a North American companion, but then everybody told her that Hna Falslev is the Norte that already knows Spanish so it was okay haha :) One elder actually told me that he thought that I was Latina when he first met me, but that may in part be because I'm no longer very white.

On Tuesday a sister in our ward from El Salvador taught us how to make pupusas. We had a lot of fun making them, AND they were delicious. It's like a taco . . . but better :) This week I also tried chiceme--a yummy drink made out of corn. I also tried pepinillo--a little green fruit that is without a doubt the most sour thing that I've ever put in my mouth. Yup, that won't happen again any time soon.

I believe I've already told you guys a little bit about Leandro and Maxima. To put it simply, they're my miracles :) The change that I've seen in them is difficult to describe and incredible. My heart starts to swell just thinking of it :) They're so special. Well, we went to visit them last Tuesday because Hna Rodas was leaving for changes. They began to express their gratitude to us for bringing them this gospel. Maxima said, You've given us everything. You gave me a bible, a Book of Mormom, and a hymnbook. Then Leandro said, No, they gave us knowledge, they gave us happiness and hope. What more could they possibly give us?! I wish that you could hear it in his voice. Moments like that make every single trial that I've had here worthwhile. The gospel of Jesus Christ has changed their lives and I've been very blessed to witness it. The amount of love that I have for them is overwhelming. I'm convinced that it's simply the love of God being transmitted through me to His children here in Panama. I'm very grateful to take part in this blessed work. It's awe-inspiring to see what can happen when someone decided to fully accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. IT'S MIRACULOUS!

Go Foward with Faith,

Hna Falslev :)

Small and Simple

Buenas Tardes Familia! I hope you are all doing fantastically well :) It´s hard to believe that yet another week has passed, this week seemed to have gone by especially fast.

On Wednesday morning we went to the temple as a zone. Oh how I love the temple!! There really is no better way to brighten a day. The few hours that I got to spend in the temple made my whole week better. It truly is the house of the Lord and He blesses us with so much peace when we take the time to go.

I think I´ve officially learned Panamanian. Actually, I know that I still have a lot to learn, but I feel very comfortable with the language now. One of our investigators actually asked me if I have Latino ancestry the other day. And one of our contacts didn´t believe me when I told him that I was from the United States. It took about 5 minutes for my compa and I to convince him that I was telling the truth. Then he kept asking me to say stuff in Spanish because he was baffled at the fact that I didn´t have an American accent. That made me happy because my goal was to learn to speak Spanish like a native. Mission accomplished :)

I´m learning that the Lord communicates with us through such simple means. Yesterday Hermana Rodas and I found a family that seems SO prepared to receive this gospel simply because we decided to take a different route home. They seem really positive, and we´re both really excited about teaching them. The Lord is constantly speaking to us, but more often than not it is through something small and seemingly insignificant, so sometimes we don´t count it as much. The Lord´s hand in the small things is such a great testimony to me that He truly loves each of us and is aware of us. He frequently brightens my day through the tiniest of tender mercies. I love the scripture Alma 37:6-7 (I think) that explains that the Lord works through small and simple means to bring to pass great things, miracles. It´s so true and I´m learning it more and more every day. I know that the Lord loves me and is aware of me. He´s constantly speaking to me, I just need to take some time to listen :)

I love and miss you all. Thank you all for being so wonderful and supportive. I know that I´m extremely blessed to have each of you! Much love!

Go forward with faith!

Love,

Hermana Falslev :)

Mi Querida Familia!

 

Good morning family! I hope all is well and that you are all having a spectacular day! It's another beautiful day here in Santa Librada. We just got finished with lunch at Hermana Oda's house. Her food is delicious, and her chicha is absolutely divine. We actually have our P-Day on Wednesday this week because we're going to the temple, but President Carmack prefers that we still write on Mondays so that he doesn't get calls from concerned mamas and papas, so here I am :) It's been a good week. The Lord truly teaches me more and more every single day, I love it! :)

I want to share a scripture that I came across earlier this week--2 Nephi 25:26. It says, ''And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophecy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.'' I absolutely love this scripture! Nephi is not talking about a passive life here. He's talking about a life that is actively and completely built around our Savior, Jesus Christ. We've been promised in Helaman 5:12 that if we establish ourselves around Christ we will have a sure foundation and we WILL NOT fall. We CANNOT fall when Christ is our foundation, in any and every circumstance.

I want everything I do to be a result of my faith in and love for Christ. I know that by following, learning, believing, and trusting in Christ, I can become like Christ. That's so incredible! And how can I represent Christ if I am not like Him? As missionaries our objective is to ''invite people to COME unto Christ . . . '' The word 'come' implies that I have to already be where Christ is. I have to be with Christ before I can invite others to come unto Him. In other words, I cannot invite people to live this gospel unless I am first living it whole-heartedly myself.

I know that Jesus Christ established the way for us to live, and I know that His way is the only way that leads us to the joy that will come from living with our Heavenbly Father and our families for eternity. We've been promised eternal happiness and we've been shown the path that we need to follow to achieve it. We simply have to do it :)

I have such a love for this gospel and there is no doubt in my mind that it is true. I KNOW that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared before Joseph Smith, and I know that through Joseph Smith the plentitud of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. We have this gospel in our lives because God loves us and wants nothing more than for us to return to live with Him. We're so blessed to have this gospel in our lives.

I love you all SO much and hope all is well. I've learned that if all else fails, count your blessings because it's hard to not be happy when we take the time to realize how blessed we truly are. Much love to each and every one of you!

Go Forward With Faith!

Hermana Falslev :)

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It's Raining, It's Pouring

 

Hope all is well back home! :) So last Monday we spent our P-Day in the city. First we went to Hard Rock.....Oh. My. Heavens. That food was so delicious, and the best part was that it wasn磘 chicken and rice! After lunch we went to see La Cinta Costera--a beautiful stretch of the ocean along the edge of the city. Even though the day started out nice and sunny we ended up getting caught in yet another torment because . . . well, that磗 just what Hna Rodas and I do :) We were already dripping as we were walking back to the bus stop, but we found comfort in the fact that at least our heads were dry. As we were pointing out this silver lining we were walking along a skinny little bridge on the side of the road. It磗 really skinny and long and once you磖e on it there磗 no way to get off until the other end. At that moment we saw one of the big city buses coming our way. Our fate was sealed and we knew it. As usual, there was a river of rain water next to us. When it rains as hard as it does here it literally creates rivers. We磖e talking like 3 feet deep with strong currents. We simply braced ourselves and did our best to cover ourselves with our umbrellas. After it passed we poked our heads out from under our umbrellas....let磗 just say that our heads weren磘 dry anymore. Another car passed shortly after the bus, but once you磖e already dripping it really doesn磘 matter.

So we eventually made it to the bus. We stood on the crowded bus, dripping, for 2 hours. We got home around 7:30 and were still wet and freezing. We changed into warm, dry clothes and started walking to our dinner appointment. As we were walking we were talking and laughing about our day. I began to say something along the lines of, 创If I get splashed by one more car today . . .创 Sure enough, at that exact moment, the only car around for blocks hit the only puddle in the all-but-dry street as I was standing next to it. Luckily it only got my feel wet, but it磗 experiences like that that remind me that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor too :)

On Friday night we got a call from the Hermana Leaders asking if I could come to their area and help them with an inactive couple that only speaks English. It was definitely an interesting experience. It took a while to get used to having a full conversation in English. It was also strange to be the only missionary out of 4 who could take part in the conversation. Hna Rodas could say a little bit, but I had to translate for the other Hermanas. I felt like I had stepped out of Panama for a while.

So there磗 almost always a lightning storm going on here but it磗 usually really far away, like behind the clouds, so you don磘 hear any thunder, you just see the whole sky light up. It磗 REALLY cool to see. However, yesterday the storm was right on top of us. There was a stretch of thunder that was ear-splittingly loud and lasted for a good 15 seconds. It was so loud that every single car alarm in the area started to go off. My comp wasn磘 a fan, but I found it fascinating.

Well, my time is running short. I know that this gospel is true. It磗 perfect. For any lack that we have or for any blessing that we want, there is a commandment and a corresponding blessing that the Lord has promised us. Obedience=Blessings It磗 simple, but the Lord has promised us that it磍l work every single time.

I love you all SO SO MUCH!

Go forward with faith,

Hermana Falslev :)

BUENOS DIAS FAMILIA!

Hope you´re all doing well! And I hope Alyssa had a wonderful birthday, sounds like you guys had a lot of fun :)

It´s been a good week here in Panama, full of lots of sun and rain. On Thursday we had a zone meeting and President Carmack came so that we could esach have a interview with him. He is so wonderful and perfect for this calling. After my interview him he offered a prayer. It was a very inspired prayer. I felt like every one of my concerns was mentioned, even if he wasn´t aware of them. When I opened my eyes after the prayer, I looked up to see him crying. Then he explained to me that there are angels guarding my companion and I. He said that maybe she and I can´t see them, but he knows that they´re around us. That was interesting because earlier in the week Hna Rodas and I had mentioned the same thing. There´s a part of our area that is especially dangerous called La Quinta. We have both felt that angels walk with us while in that area.

I walked out of my interview with President Carmack with an overwhelming awareness of the love that my Heavenly Father has for me. I could feel SO strongly of the love that He has for me, like He was next to me. I know that He is aware of me individually, as His daughter. I know that we can each have a very personal relationship with Him if we seek it.

Remember Leandro and Maxima who got baptized about 2 weeks ago? Well we´ve been working with their family, which is huge and they almost all live in our area. They have 8 kids who all have multiple kids. We´re so excited to work with them all because this gospel is specifically meant to bring families back to our Heavenly Father. There is one granddaughter in particular who is interested. Her name is Jazi and she´s 13. She was almost always at Leandro and Maxima´s when we taught the lessons. We found out last week that she came specifically because we were there. She started asking her grandparents when the Hermanas would be there. I would be so happy if we could get their whole family into the church! :)

Also, we have an investigator named Margarita. We met her during my 2nd week here. We taught her a few lessons, but she wasn´t incredibly interested, so we didn´t visit her too often. Last week we were walking by and she told us that she wanted us to start visiting her again. She has changed a lot and seems to really be interested now. We taught her the Restoration again and she really has a desire to know if it´s true. And at the end of our lesson she asked about the after-life. She told us that if we get reincarnated she wants to pray that God changes her into a butterfly, because butterflies are always so happy :) We were more than happy to share with her that you don´t have to be a butterfly to be happy after this life haha :)

Well, we´re about to head off to a place called Cinta Costa near the city, which means we have a long bus ride ahead of us. I´ve seen pictures and it looks really pretty. We´re also going to go to Hard Rock for lunch.....that means I get to eat something other than chicken and rice WHOO HOO! :) I´ve learned to love it, but variety in life is nice :)

Know that I´m happy and doing well. Know that I know that we have a Father in Heaven who loves us more than we can comprehend. We´re so blessed to have this gospel in our lives. It provides us with so much joy and direction. Got has a plan of HAPPINESS for each and every one of us. I love you all so much and hope you´re all doing well! I send lots of love your way every day!

Go forward with faith!

Hermana Falslev :)

Photos Aug 2013

Just another week in Panama

How are all of you?! I hope you´ve all had a wonderful week! And . . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Alyssa on Friday! I hope it´s a fun day for all of you.

Well, I don´t have much to report this wekk, just another week in Panama. I suppose that merely being in Panama is exciting enough though :) Panama is such a beautiful place. The sky here is always so clear and vivid. Yesterday the sunset was so pretty. The entire sky was a magnificent mix of orange and pink. Then the moon came up and was a brilliant white sliver of white in the midst of it all. The word for sky is the same as the word for heaven in Spanish. I think that´s justified because the sky here truly is heavenly and spectacular.

Also, there´s a group of wild loros, parrots, that has decided to live in a group of trees along our running route, so we get to watch them fly over our heads every morning. It´s really cool, they´re such beautiful birds.

I´ve also had the chance to experience some new food this week. At the beginning of the week, one of our investigators gave us fish...the whole fish--the scales, the bones, the eyes--all of it. Also, yesterday at lunch I sat down to behold a huge bowl of almejas--clams. I´ve never been much of a fan of seafood, but they weren´t too bad. And it was pretty entertaining to watch one of the elders try and eat them. Also, the fruit here is delicious!!! I tried something called a mamòn the other day. It´s a little fruit that has a green cover that you bite softly to break it in half. Then you suck out the fruit in the middle, which is an oddly textured pinkish/clear thing. You chew on that for a while, then spit out the pit in the middle. It´s strange, but really good. I´m also becoming gifted in the art of eating mangos. It´s extremely messy, but that´s part of the fun. Mangos are definitely some of my favorite things to eat here. I also love papaya. Almost every house here sells things called duros. Duros are basically popsicles, but better. They put homemade chicha (fresh fruit juice) in a little plastic bag and freeze it. We found a house that has duros made out of fresh papaya, coconut, or pineapple. Oh Nely, those things are good!!! Hna Rodas and I get one every time we´re in the area. They´re perfect for the middle of the day, when the sun in strong. It´s been especially hot the last couple of days.

Speaking of weather, here´s my funny experience for the week: Last monday we were waiting for the elders to call about changes., so we left to wash our clothes a bit later than usual. When we walked out the door it was really hot and really sunny. About 30 seconds after leaving our house, a huge storm hit. The wind started really strongly, then the buckets of rain followed shortly after. Everybody was running into their houses, then there were the crazy missionaries who had their laundry swung over their shoulders. It´s a 10-15 minute walk to the laundromat, so we were completely drenched by the time we got there. We rung out our skirts as well as we could, then went about washing our already wet clothes. We just sat and laughed at ourselves . . . we do that a lot. And we´re pretty sure Heavenly Father got a good chuckle out of it too :)

I´m loving the memories that I´m making here in Panama, even the simplest ones will remain with me for a lifetime. I´m so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve here.

I love and miss you all so much! Hope you´re all happy and healthy and happy :) MUCH LOVE!

Go forward with faith,

Hermana Falslev :)

Bautismo . . . otra vez!

First things first, I hope Chris had a spectacular birthday yesterday! I sent lots of good wishes your way. Also, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to mom and dad tomorrow. I hope you guys have a wonderful day and are able to do something special because being sealed in the temple for eternity truly is something to celebrate. I'm so grateful that we have an eternal family, thank you!

I've finished my first change out in the field. I just found out that I'll be staying in the same area for my next change as well, and with Hermana Rodas again also. I was very pleased to hear that. I feel like there's so much more that we can still do in the are of Santa Librada.

Also, I'm very happy to report that Hna Rodas and I had 3 more baptisms yesterday. Leandro and Maxima, who are now happily married, are also members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! They have plans to enter the temple on August 4th of next year.

Robert Carrazco was also baptized yesterday. Robert is a 28 year old who had a very difficult start in life. In the school that he attended as a child, the children were forced to traffic drugs, with frequent death threats if they didn't. Obviously that doesn't exactly provide a wholesome environment to grow up in. He got involved in a lot of bad things. His brother was baptized about 7 years ago and is actually serving an LDS mission in Nicaragua right now. His mom was baptized about 6 months ago. We visited his mom often, but he was never interested in joining the discussion. One day, about 4 weeks ago, he came into the room holding a hymn book, and sat down, ready for us to begin the lesson. That Sunday, he came to church and he's been to church every Sunday since. About 2 weeks ago, they called me up to the pulpit in the middle of Sacrament meeting. I don't even remember what I said, but I know it was simple. When we went to visit him later that week, he said that I had said something that made him decide to be baptized. We were shocked! To give you a picture of Robert--his hair is longer than mine, he is covered in tattoos, and has more piercings than I can count. We've been working really hard with him, and he was finally baptized on Sunday! Whoo-hoo!

So this week I've been studying 'hope' a lot. I think hope is such an interesting concept. In the world, hope is something abstract, intangible, and uncertain. However, in the gospel, hope is an extremely powerful, positive feeling of CERTAINTY and trust in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. The combination of faith, hope, and charity is mentioned frequently in the scriptures. When we have faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, we have a concrete hope in the promise of exaltation and eternal life with God and our families. Faith and hope are both motivating forces. When we have them, we are inclined to act--or in better terms--to serve, to have charity towards others. When we act on the faith and hope that we have, the Lord blesses us with more. It's a continuous cycle of progress and learning. It's wonderful! Also, everybody has enough faith to start this cycle. It all begins with a sincere desire, that's all the Lord asks. And, if we want more faith, we can ask for it! The Lord will help and bless us.

I love Ether 12>4 which says,''Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with a surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.'' Isn't that a beautiful scripture! It basically sums it all up.

I know that this gospel is true. I know that faith in Jesus Christ and hope through His Atonement are spectacular gifts from God that come through studying and living His word and His gospel. With those principles comes happiness, which is really what this gospel is all about!

I love you all TTHHIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSS much *imagine me stretching my arms out as far as I can*

Go forward with faith (and hope and charity)

Hola!

My dear family!

How are all of you?! I can't believe it's almost August. First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Chris on Sunday! I hope it's a wonderful wonderful day and that you guys have a good time celebrating. Eat an extra piece of cake for me :)

Last Tuesday we were able to attend a temple session as a zone. It's such a blessing to have a temple that we can attend as missionaries, even if it's not very often. I love the temple SO much! It truly is the House of the Lord. It's a place where we can receive peace, direction, and strength. I encourage you all to take advantage of the fact that you have multiple temples so close to you. It's such a blessing from our Heavenly Father.

Also . . . we had another baptism this week! Raul Carrillo was baptized yesterday afternoon. Raul is a perfect example of someone who was prepared by the Lord to receive the gospel. I'm learning more and more that I am simply an instrument in the hands of the Lord, a vessel to carry the good news. This is His work. He prepares people in His time and then leads us, as His representatives, to them. I wish you could meet all of the wonderful people that I get to interact with everyday. They have such a special place in my heart. I love them so much!

As I've mentioned previously, it rains monsoons here in Panama. In fact, it's pouring right now. Yesterday we had one of the bigger storms I've seen since I've been here. And of course, my compa and I were caught right in the middle of it. Being the brilliant people that we are, we manged to fashion a cover of sorts out of some plastic. That, paired with our umbrellas, kept us relatively dry . . . Until a large truck drove through the river that was forming on the road. You might think it possible to simply avoid the wave of water, but nope. The waves caused when cars drive through the deep water on the roads here are argueably large enough to surf. So, to sum things up, we got drenched. At that point, there's not much you can do except laugh at yourself. So, we had a good laugh and continued on our way.

One of the members in our ward here is Kuna. She grew up in San Blas, some of the islands here, and continues with many of the traditions from the culture there. She's invited us to go to her house today to learn more about it and learn how to make molas. Molas are made of beautiful stitchwork that is specific to San Blas. I'm excited to learn! :)

We are so incredibly blessed to have this gospel in our lives. We get to live with the knowledge that we have a loving Father in Heaven and a Savior. How wonderful is that?! I was studying the Light of Christ this morning. The Light of Christ is just what the words imply: enlightenment, knowledge, and an uplifting, enobline, persevering influence that comes upon mankind because of Jesus Christ (bible dictionary). That's such a beautiful gift. I know that it is through Christ that we are made whole and happy. Living this gospel and putting Christ in the center of our lives provides us with direction, joy, and light. I know my Savior, Jesus Christ lives! I love this gospel, my Savior, and all of you so much!

Go forward with faith!

Hna Falslev :)

BAPTISM!!!

First of all, I apoligize for not writing yesterday. We rearranged our p-day so that we can attend a temple session this afternoon.

This has been a wonderful week. To begin, I had my first baptism on Sunday! We began teaching Maribel my first week here. She's been an extremely positive investigator since the beginning. She has a sincere desire to be baptized. Unfortunately, she has to work out a divorce with a man in Nicaragua and many other complicated details before she can be baptized. But she has a righteous desire and the Lord is helping her. BUT....we were able to baptize her daughter, Miurel. Miurel is a beautiful, shy, sweet 9 year old. I love her so much and it was a very special opportunity to watch her make her first covenant with her Heavenly Father. The joy that brings is difficult to describe.

As if that wasn't enough, we were able to witness a miracle yesterday. We've been planningthe baptism of Leandro Santimateo for quite a while. We've had to push is back multiple times because of difficulties with the marriage papers and such. Also, we were supposed to have a lunch appointment with him and his soon-to-be-wife yesterday at noon, but we didn't get home from our service project until about 5. we called them with the intention of apologizing and cancelling because it was so late and we had other appointments. But when they answered the phone we both felt strongly that we still needed to go visit them. We apologized for our tardiness and explained that we were on our way.

So, Maxima from the beginning has acted indifferent as we teach Leandro and said that she wants nothing to do with the church. She always sat in and listened to the lessons though.We kept praying that she would have a change of heart one day. well, during our lesson about the Plan of Salvation last night, she asked if she could get baptized on the same day as Leandro. We were overwhelmed with surprise and joy. Her heart was changed in what seemed like an instant, but we can look back and see that the Lord was helping her step by step the entire time. There were countless things that we thought were working against this baptism, but those things were actually working towards a greater cause. Goes to show how narrow our view can be. All things were working together for the salvation of one of God's children--one of the 99. The Lord has an eternal perspective. We need only trust in Him and in His timing. My heart is so full of gratitude and joy that Maxima has decided to be bapized. We work with so many people, praying that they will accept the good news of this gospel. Moments like that make all of the hard work worth it. Bien vale la pena....well worth the pain. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to take part in the work of the Lord.His work will go forth to all the world. All He asks is a worthy heart and willing hands. We're bringing the world HIS truth...it's a beautiful thing!

We have a service project every week. It's always something that requires hard manual labor of some sort. I really look forward to them though. There is something so satisfying about getting dirty and working hard. Yesterday I ended up completely covered in mud. It was so fun! Also, the little boys in the family that we were helping were running around and laughing with us. There is nothing better than the laughter of a child. When a child laughs it's with an unrestrained kind of joy, it's pure. Yesterday was a wonderful day.

Oh, let me tell you about the beast I discovered this week. It was the size of my hand and it is exactly like the spiderish thing in Harry Potter 4 when they learn the unforgivable curses. Look for it in the movie because I simply don't know how else to explain it. It was terrifying.

I met a woman yesterday that couldn't believe that I've only been in Panama for 4 weeks. She said that I speak/understand Spanish like I've known it for years. She thought I was from Costa Rica because my accent sounds like a native Spanish speaker, not somebody from Utah. That made my day. I'm beginning to understand pretty much everything. The Lord has helped me so much.

Our stake had a pioneer activity with the primary to celebrate Pioneer Day. They were all dressed up like pioneers and made little handcarts. It wasn' t quite the same, but I felt like I was in Utah for a little while. It was a lot of fun. Also, the primary children here are all fascinated by the idea of snow. They ask me about it all the time. Who knew Utah could be so exciting and interesting?

Well, know that I love you all. I have a testimony of how this gospel blesses families. This gospel is meant for families. I know my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He is my Redeemer as well as my brother and friend. I have a firm testimony of His Infinite Atonement.

I love you all so much!

Go forward with faith,

Hna Falslev :)

2 Months

I want to begin this letter by stating firmly that I detest cockroaches. I've made my peace with most of the other 'creepy-crawlies', with the exception of spiders of course, but cockroaches are wretched creatures that should not exist. They're big, much faster than you'd think, AND they fly. Mother Nature sure has a sense of humor. I encouter a new beast almost every time I enter the bathroom. I'm going to have to start going in there armed with more than just my shampoo and a toothbrush :)

On Saturday mmorning we met as a zone for a service project. We were cleaning up the yard of an investigator -- using machetes of course, because using any other tool would be illogical and silly. We soon discovered that this small yard was infested with frogs, of all sizes. We also found some large spiders, much to my disliking. I never thought I'd say this, but I kind of miss the spiders in Utah.

So, everybody here loves to feel the missionaries. One of our investigators was kind enough to provide us with a second lunch. Guess what she served us....pig tail! That's right, that curly thing on the end of a pig! Note to self -- no, note to everybody -- that is not something that is supposed to be eaten...EVER!

Also, we returned home one night to discover that the other hermanas accidentally locked the keys in the house, meaning that we were locked out of the house. I had quite the adventure climbing over the fence in a skirt to resolve the problem. But, alas, I was triumphant!

If you'd like a small glimpse into my day, watch the scene in 'Up!' when Russell first meets Carl. He's very persistent, he's practically Hna Rodas and me. We ask a lot of the people we see if they need help with anything, usually it requires asking multiple times. Our persistence usually pays off, and we get an opportunity to teach them. Anyway, watch that scene, it's comical how similar it is :)

Since we're out in the sun all day, I've gotten some awesome tan lines. Everybody here still loves to call me 'blancita' though. Although, I think that may be partially because it seems to be physically impossible for anybody here to say my last name.

On Sunday night we had the opportunity to take some of our investigators to see the temple. Leandro and Maxima are preparing to be married (after 50 years of being together) so that Leandro can be baptized. Maxima says that she doesn't want anything to do with the church and tries to act disinterested, but she always listens to the lessons. I think she's warming up to the idea. Leandro is a 77 year old man with a very simple, but very solid testimony.

President Carmack, the new mission president, met us at the temple. He came with his 12 year old daughter, Annie. I like talking to her because she reminds me of Alyssa. President Carmack talked to our investigators about the work that is done in the temple. The Spirit was so strong. I have such a love for the temple, and I know with a surety that it is the House of the Lord. The Panama temple is one ofthe most beautiful places I've ever been. I'd be cool if we could travel there as a family one day.

Well, I've hit the 2 month mark. That means I'm already 1/9 of the way finished. It's hard to believe. I'm learning so much. One of the things I've been thinking about this week is that the natural consequence of obedience and selfless service is power from God--power to do that which I cannot do on my own. There's a lot of things that I can't do on my own, but I know that I can rely wholly upon the Lord to make up the difference, every time.
My dear family, I love you all so much. I hope you're all doing well and know how much your Heavenly Father loves you. I testify with all of my heart that this gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ, it true. I know that living it invites happiness into our lives. We are happiest when our Savior is in the center of our lives.

I love you all!!

Go forward with faith,

Hermana Falslev :)

Panama!!!

My dear, dear family!

I hope you are all doing wonderfully! Well, I'm adjusting to Panama. I'm understanding more of the language every day. They speak very 'effecient' Spanish here. They drop the endings of the words, and they only stop to take a breath when it's absolutely necessary. Throw a little bit of Jamaican and Chinese in with that and it proves to be quite the challenge, but I'm learning. I may not come home speaking Spanish, but I will come home speaking Panamanian.

I'm really starting to develop a lot for the people here. I can't always understand all that they're saying, but I love them, especially the children. The children are so precious. We're teaching a few families with very young kids. It's interesting to watch their faces as we teach the lessons. I think they recognize the Spirit that is there, especially when we sing the hymns. I love teaching that families can be together forever. It's such a blessing that we have the eternal perspective that we do.

The food here is wonderful, there's just a lot of it. I make sure my companion and I run every morning :) As we were running this morning we got caught in a storm. Luckily, we made it home before it got too bad. The rain is indescribable. It's sometimes a bit painful to be in because it's like someone is throwing buckets of water at you. It's really cool to watch/listen to though. The thunder/lightning storms here in the jungle are magnificent.

This week we contacted some very devout Catholics...lucky us :) Those conversations always end up being comical at the least. They struggle to accept the Restoration. One woman even condemned Hna Rodas and I to hell because of our belief in the Book of Mormon after her 30 minute rant about the Bible. I suppose it was kind of her to let us know, it takes the guesswork out of life haha :) We simply smiled, bore our testimonies, and wished her a happy afternoon. Not everybody is that extreme, but they do enjoy discussing doctrine. We're currently teaching a Catholic woman named Celia. She knos it's true but is afraid to act on her faith. For many of these people, baptism means changing something they've been taught for their entire lives. That can be scary, but when the truth is confirmed upon our hearts by the Holy Ghost, it becomes a causative force that motivates us to align our lives with Christ. Faith is a principle of action, THEN power. Sometimes we mix that sequence up and ask for the power to act. It doesn't usually work that way. The Lord magnifies the efforts that we make in faith--but there must be something there for Him to magnify.

God loves us and always will unconditionally. When we are obedient and exercise our faith, we are changed, not Him. Our eyes and hearts are opened to be able to more fully comprehend His love that was already there.

I love you, each one of you so much. It sounds like you're all doing well and are happy. Nothing could bring me more joy than knowing that you are all being blessed so much by our Heavenly Father. MUCH LOVE TO ALL OF YOU!

Go forward with faith,

Hna Falslev :)

I've made it!!!

Dearest Familia! I feel like it's been a lifetime since I've been able to email you. Hermana Ward was supposed to have emailed you about our safe arrival on Tuesday, hopefully she did. If not, I'm alive and I'm in Panama! I woke up at 2:30am on Tuesday morning because we had to leave for the airport at 4. After spending way to much time on an airplane, I landed in Panama. We were greeted by Presidente y Hermana Ward, then we took our things to the temple apartments wehre we would be staying the night. We sat through orientation, then we were able to attend a session at the temple. That was such a blessing. That Panama temple is very small, but it is unbelievably gorgeous.

The next morning we had a meeting with the entire mission because Presidente and Hermana Ward are leaving for home today. Then we were assigned to our tainers and areas. My comp is Hna Rodas. She is from Guatemala and is 22 years old. She's been in the mission for 3 months. She's very obedient and is very patient. I've been blessed to have her. She also spèaks a little bit of English, which is helpful sometimes. The Spanish here is nothing like the Mexican Spanish that I learned in the CCM. THey speak very quickly and they drop the endings of all the words. Hna Rodas even said that she couldn't understand anything her first week here--and Spanish is her first language! It's very difficult, but I'll get the hang of it. I understand more every day.

I've been assigned to the San Miguelito, Santa Librada Area. I'm literally living in the middle of the jungle and the area I'm in doesn't have a lot of wealth. The house I live in has proven to be an adventure. I'm currently coexisting with lizards, spiders, and every other bug you can think of...and then some. I always joked that I was going to get a pet lizard :)

It's also very very very hot. Did I mention it was very hot?! We feel sweaty and sticky all the time. It'll be interesting to come home in the middle of winter after I've gotten used to the heat. I might curl up in a warm blanket and never come out :) We are entering into the rainy season here. I though it rained a lot in Mexico, but that was nothing. I would venture to say that a 5 minute storm here dumps the same amout of wather as all of the storms in Utah combined.

We have a pretty big area, and we walk a lot. Basically I was ALL day, but I like it :)

We also have some very promising investigators with baptismal dates set for later this month. The biggest obstacle here is that NOBODY gets married...ever. This just happens to be something necessary for baptism, so we're working with a lot of people. I'll keep you updated on their progress.

On Saturday morning we had a service project. We were supposed to carry cement blocks and bags of other building materials to a location wehre a house was to be built. We arrived to find out that we had to carry them up a steep stone stairway of about 200 steps. Being the brilliant young adults that we are, we formed a n assembly line and had a wonderful time. At least we got a chance to work of some of the many many pounds of rice that we are fed each day. The members take turns providing our meals and they pile it on very high. I've eaten more rice in the last 6 days here than I ever have before.

To some things up, I feel like I've jumped into a completely different world. It's difficult, but it's good, and each day gets better. Also, the people are wonderful. I've spent time with people in very humble circumstances, but they are all so giving and loving. They have good hearts :)

Family, I love you! SO MUCH! I know I'm so blessed to have you all. I hope you guys can feel the love that I send your way every day.

MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL!

Go forward with faith,

Hna Falslev :)

Dani Arrived in Panama Today 6-25-2013

  Danielle, arrived in Panama today.  The new arrivals made a trip to the Panama Temple. The Mission President maintains a blog and posts pictures from time to time.

The link is below.
http://www.panamamission2010-2013.blogspot.com/

MTC Photo

Dani is in the yellow, almost in the middle twords the right, and on the second row.

Almost to Panama.

I only have 6 days left in the CCM, I can't believe my time here has almost come to an end! I am so grateful to have had the chance to come to Mexico with these 18 other American missionaries. We've made history and we've had experiences that nobody else will ever have. This truly has been a remarkable opportunity. I love the people that I have met here with all of my heart. In the last five weeks I have been taken out of my comfort zone in every possible meaning of the term, but I have grown in incredible ways because of it. I know that this is only the beginning and that I still have so much more to learn as I move on to Panamá. Nathan warned me that everytime I got comfortable I should expect change because the Lord does not want us in our comfort zones. We learn the most when we are outside of our comfort zones. It is then that we are truly humbled and must rely on the Lord. It is then that we become teachable and the Lord can provide us with pieces of our full potential.

Most of our appointments are just instructors who take on the roles of 'investigators'. We also have TRC, which is when voluteers (usually members) come to the CCM to meet with the missionaries. This gives us a chance to speak with native speakers in a real-life situation. We always learn a lot from these experiences. Usually we just teach individuals, but a couple of days ago we were able to teach a family of four. I loved teaching them. Talking with them reaffirmed to me that this gospel is true in any language, in any country.

We've also been given the rare opportunity to teach a real investigator. Our instructor's friend is not a member and has been coming for a couple of weeks. His name is Itzvan. He believes that truth is inside each of us and we don't necessarily need to attend a church or have organized religion. He is also quite fond of marijuana and hallucinogens. All of the American companionships have been able to teach him. At the end of one of the lessons last week, he mentioned to our instructor that he felt something amazing that he didn't think he had ever felt before. Our instructor explained that he was feeling the Holy Ghost, like he had been taught. He expressed that he wants to be baptized! Teaching Itzvan has been an incredible experience. I have felt such a love for him even though I don't know him very well. I've been blessed to feel a little bit of how God loves His children. I was praying in preparation for our lesson with him last week when I received the distinct impression that God had been calling Itzvan's name. God is calling Itzvan to return to Him and wants nothing more. I could feel that same desire that God feels for His children to return. Unfortunately, we later found out that Itzvan was not going to make it to our appointment because he had overslept. My heart broke, and again I was able tot receive a glimpse into the way our Heavenly Father feels towards His children. It's amazing the love we're able to feel towards our investigators, there's nothing like it. I know something very good is about to happen with Itzvan and that's why there is an added measure of opposition. Thankfully, I also know that the will of God will be accomplished, despite opposition.

It rains quite a bit here, but last Wednesday we had the rainstorm of all rainstorms. It poured buckets for about 6 straight hours. We were walking through about 2-3 inches of water on our way to dinner. I loved it! There's something about watching such an awe-inspiring storm that brings a smile to my face. It was breath-taking. I have more of those kind of storms to look forward to in Panamá.

We get to go to the temple for the last time today. The Mexico City temple is beautiful and we've been very blessed to have the opportunity to go every week. It's been just one of the innumerable tender mercies that I receive every day here.

One last thought . . . we watched a devotional by Elder Richard G. Scott on Sunday. At the end of His testimony he shared something that really hit me. He said, "I know Jesus Christ lives BECAUSE I love Him." I'm not sure why that thought hit me as hard as it did, but I was grateful for it. Just a thought to ponder for the week :)

I hope you are all doing well and I love you all more than words can express!

Go foward with faith,

Hermana Falslev

Suprise!

My P-Day got changed to Tuesday this week because all of the American missionaries got to go on a trip to Teotihuacán, Pyramid of the Sun today. Teotihuacán has the ruins of an ancient civilization (the city was in it's prime in about 800 AD, if I remember correctly from a class I took in high school) We just barely got back and it was AMAZING! The temples there are beautiful and the symbolism of everything there is mind-blowing. As you know, I love that kind of stuff, so I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. Even though the prime of this civilization was during the Great Apostacy, it was built before the death of Christ, while the truth was still on the earth. The structure of and the ceremonies performed in these temples were extremely similar to what we have today. Some of the carvings even allude to the garment and very specific things about the endowment session. I won't go into detail, but I was amazed. It will definitely be a highlight of my mission. We also climbed to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun....so many stairs....steep stairs. It was a breathtaking experience though. I learned so much and it only added to me love of culture, especially ancient cultures. I felt like I was walking around in Book of Mormom times. Ahh, I'm still giddy about the opportunity we had to go! I have lots of pictures and if I ever figure out a way to get my pictures on the computer I'd love to send you some. Also, this trip meant that I got to wear jeans....which was glorious!

Another reason I loved this trip was because I got a chance to get outside of the temple square boundaries. I often have to remind myself that I'm in Mexico City because I don't get to see much outside of the gate. Well, I got to see Mexico City today and it was a very humbling experience. We are so blessed! I don't think I could explain some of the sights that I saw on our way out of the city, but they will forever be engrained in my mind. Absolute and extreme poverty, and I'm even in a nicer part of the city. The people I saw and the houses that I saw them living in made me so incredibly grateful to my Father in Heaven for all that I have. I love the people here with all my heart though. I've met some of the kindest hearted people while I've been here, and I love them all.

So, I'm in a companionship of three. My companions are both wonderful, but struggle a little with the language, and have come to rely on me during our appointments with our 'investigators'. Because of this, during our last appointment, they wanted my companions to teach by themselves to see how they did. I was supposed to watch the recording from the camera that is in the room and evaluate the lesson. I wasn't sure how I felt about this at first, but I think it was beneficial for us all. My companions became more confident with their Spanish and realized that they can take on bigger roles during our lessons. I'm very happy about this because I was beginning to feel a bit stressed because I was taking on the majority of the workload. I'll be grateful for their input.

I've learned so much about my responsibility to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord this week. On Sunday I was asked to give a short talk. I had prepared some thoughts about the Doctrine of Christ, the theme for the entire meeting. About 5 minutes before I was supposed to speak I was impressed to center what I said around 3 Nephi 12:16. I wasn't sure why I needed to share this, but if I've learned anything in my life it's that you never ignore a prompting from the Lord. I only had 4 minutes to speak, so I simply shared the scripture and a few of my thoughts about it. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, I sat down and the meeting continued. Later that night, right before going back to the dorms, one of the elders from my district, Elder Kipp, came up and thanked me so sincerely for sharing what I did. He told me that he knows it was specifically meant for him. He shook my hand and thanked me for following the Spirit. There are few things that bring more joy than knowing that somebody received the help that they needed because the Lord could use you as an instrument in his hands.

I had a similar experience last night (Monday). Elder Cochran, another elder from my district, and I are very similar and get along extremely well. We've become very good friends. Last night we were both having a difficult time after our lessons. While the rest of our district was talking and getting ready to go to the dormitories, I noticed that Elder Cochran was having a rough time over at his desk. I decided to share one of my favorite scriptures with him. I found it right before leaving and it has helped me a lot. We've talked a lot and I knew that this scripture was PERFECT for him too. I didn't realize that this passage of scripture started out by addressing 'Thomas'. Thomas is Elder Cochran's first name. It is as if this scripture was written specifically for him. He read it and I could see the light come back into his face. He looked at me and told me that he wanted nothing more than to hug me, but unfortunately mission rules forbid it. He gave me a very hearty handshake though. I know that the thought I had to share that scripture was directly from the Lord, and I'm grateful that I followed the prompting and was able to brighten someone's day.

I am quickly running out of time, but I also encourage you guys to listen to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's January 11 2011 Provo MTC devotional. We watched it on sunday and he blew me away yet again with the power that he has when he speaks. Also, I spent a lot of time studying John 15 this week alongside 'The Challenge to Become' by Dallin H. Oaks.

Also, thank you so much for the package! The instructor came into our classroom with it and my heart leaped when I found out it was for me. It's the smallest of the Lord's tender mercies that brighten my day the most.

Family, I love you all SO much! I'm sure I'm forgetting something in this letter, but I guess I'll just have to include it next time. I'm hoping to be able to send you pictures next week as well. You're all amazing and wonderful examples to me!

Much love!!

Go forward with faith!

Hermana Falslev

Halfway There!

How are you all doing?! I love hearing about your weeks! I'm glad to hear that Alyssa's tryouts went well and I hope she loves the new league. Also, I hope Nathan's birthday was wonderful!

Well, I'm officially halfway through my time here at the CCM. I'm loving my time here, but I'm looking forward to finally getting to Panama and not sitting in classes all day. Also, I'm really going to miss the missionaries in my district. I have no doubt this group of 19 missionaries were sent here for a reason, we have all become best friends. We already have our reunion planned for when the elders get home.

There are some amazing storms here that put the ones in Utah to shame. The other night there was an awe-inspiring storm. One end of the sky was the most beautiful blue I've ever seen, while the other side had huge storm clouds with a thunder/lightning storm going on behind them. Eventually the clouds made it over the temple grounds and we were in the middle of the storm. It started out hailing like crazy, then it turned into buckets of rain. Amongst all of this chaos a rainbow was directly over teh temple. It was beautiful and brought a giant grin to my face. It's truly humbling and amazing to witness a storm like that. It's wonderful to think that a God who has the power to create that still takes the time to help us with so many seemingly insignificant small things.

The Spanish is coming. I'm able to have a decent conversation now...usually. I have to frequently remind myself that learning a language is a process (a long one that I'm trying to complete in a mere 6 weeks). My perfectionist tendencies are being tested. It is a beautiful language though, and I love it. Here's some food for thought: The way a prayer is said in Spanish is a little different than when it's said in English. An English prayer generally uses pretty formal, respective language. When you say a prayer in Spanish, it is still respectful, but you're supposed to use the informal conjugations -- like your talking to your best friend. I think that is a beautiful concept.

Earlier this week, I was studying in Alma 41. In this chapter we learn that being without God is a state contrary to the nature of happiness. We also learn that a resurrection or restoration means to bring back again or return to an original state. When we are resurrected, we will return to live with God, our Heavenly Father, which is our natural state. Also, that means that if we are with God, we are in a state of happiness. Happiness must also be our natural state. That means it is in our nature to be happy! I think that's why we get so happy when we feel the spirit, it's natural. I love that idea!

I also thought a lot about the Atonement this week. Christ felt everything I feel...everything. He even feels my pain when I stub my little toe, which is possibly the most painful thing known to mankind. He also understand how I feel when I stray off of the right path. He suffered for all of it. That made me want to be a little bit more careful about walking a little straighter --physically and spiritually.

On Tuesday we were blessed to have a devotional with the area president, Elder Daniel L. Johnson. I learned so much from that meeting and don't have time to share it all, but one thing really stood out to me. He explained that thereis only one way to love, and that is through service. When you forget yourself and think more of others, love naturally follows. As a missionary, I have been called to SERVE. I've been called to set apart all of myself and learn how to love. I'm the Lord's missionary and He loves perfectly, so I need to do my best to love perfectly as well.

It's time for lunch, then we're going to the temple, which is one of my favorite parts of the week. I'm sorry my letters are always so scatter-brained. I feel like I have a lifetime to tell you all about in such a short amount of time. Do you guys have any questions about anything?

Family, I love you all so very much! I think about you often and how blessed I am to have you. Much love to you all!

Go forward with faith,

Hermana Falslev

Week 2- a little extra

I'm so pleased to hear that you are all doing well! It sounds like you guys have had some awesome experiences lately. Dad, thank you for sharing the experience you had in the temple with me, I know that the work done in the temple and family history work in general is so important. We don't really get to work on family history here, but we do get to go to the temple every week and it's always a wonderful experience. Alyssa, good luck at your soccer try-outs and I'm glad you're about to get a break from school. You're amazing! Mom, that's so cool that you could find connections with your ancestors like that. One thing I've learned while out here is that we are all connected in some way or another, and it's really cool to find those little connections. I am in the old Mexico CCM right now and will remain here the entire time. We are the first and last American missionaries to be here in this MTC, so it is a pretty cool opportunity. We will probably be helping them move into the new MTC because they will be making the move right after we leave for the field. Also, I sent a letter for the family, but I don't know when it'll arrive. If it doesn't arrive before Friday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN! I hope you are all doing wonderfully and I love hearing about all that you're doing.

Oh man, I don't even know where to start. I've learned so much! I feel like I have a lifetime to tell you about in such a small amount of time. My thoughts may be a little scattered, but I'll do my best...

We got a visit from Elder Christofferson last week. That was an amazing devotional. It's a rare experience that you get to be in such a small setting with an Apostle. He spoke about missionary work, which taught me a lot, but the amazing part came when he began to bear his testimony and witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He changed, his entire demeanor changed, you could see it in his countenance. It was one of the most powerful testimonies of Christ that I have ever heard. At that moment, the Spirit bore witness to me that what he was saying was and is true.

The language is coming. I definitely feel like I've progressed, but we all still have a long way to go. Since I've been praying and bearing testimony in Spanish, my expressions have become much more simple. At first it kind of bothered me that I wasn't able to express all of my thoughts as well as I wanted to, but I've really come to appreciate the simplicity of it. Although, it is very simple and child-like, these prayers are some of the most powerful prayers I've ever said. I've realized that all I really have to offer to the Lord is my will. I can choose to serve Him whole-heartedly. This is a very humbling experience, and I have had to learn to rely wholly upon the Lord. I couldn't do this without the grace of God. Grace is a divine, enabling power that is meant to be used in this life, not just on judgement day. The Lord's grace allows us to do what we cannot do by ourselves. Because our Heavenly Father loves us, it is available to all of us. As I've studied the Atonement this week, I have come to realize the key role that His grace plays. Nobody has sunk so low that they are beyond the power of the Atonement. Through our Savior, Jesus Christ, we are made complete.

The Latino missionaries that come through the CCM only stay for 2 weeks. My companions and I become very good friends with two from the last group, Hermanas Juarez and Perez. It was amazing how close we came in such a small amount of time. Hermana Perez and I became especially close. Her and I are both very certain that we knew eachother well before this life. It was an honor and a blessing to become friends with her and I hope you all can meet her some day. I'm surrounded by remarkable people here. I'm here with 18 other American missionaries and we are already like a family here. They are wonderful and I love them all so much!

It's been interesting to see my personal study change. At home, whenever I studied the scriptures or prayed it was almost always for myself. While I've been here it is almost always for somebody else. I study to know what to teach my 'investigators', I pray for my 'investigators' and companions. This work is about selflessness, and it's wonderful!

This is a beautiful city. We don't really get a chance to go out of the boundaries of the CCM, but the little glimpses that I do get are beautiful. The people are humble and so friendly. A mariachi band is almost alwyas playing right outside the gate and it's fun to listen to them play and sing. Also, it rains here every evening....like a lot. It takes less than a minute to get from my classroom to my dorm and I still manage to get completely soaked. I love it though because it clears the smog (there is a level of smog here that I didn't even believe possible) and then you can see bright blue sky and the most beautiful clouds. God has certainly created a beautiful world for us!

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm in Mexico City. It is definitely a foreign experience. Everything about this experience has put me out of my comfort zone, but I think that's a good thing. Also, all of the American missionaries may have overestimated our ability to handle the food here. Our stomachs are struggling to adjust, but on the bright side, hopefully I will have a stomach of steel by the time I get home. The temple is the one thing that doesn't feel completely foreign to me. Even though we do the sessions in Spanish, it feels the same. As soon as I walked into the temple last week I felt a familiar feeling of comfort and peace. I know that the temple is the House of the Lord and that it is a place to receive direction and to feel of His love for us.

I don't have much time left, but I'm going to try to attach some pictures for you guys. I want you all to know how much I love you. You are an incredible family and I'm so blessed to have you all. Jesus Christ came to this earth and lived a perfect life then died for us so that we can return to live with God and our families again. That is the good news of this gospel, I'm grateful for that truth and I'm excited to share it.

Go forward with faith!

Hermana Falslev (:

Week 2

My P-Day will generally be on Wednesdays, but this week we have it on Tuesday because tomorrow Elder D. Todd Christofferson will be speaking to us. I get to participate in a small choir for that devotional and I'm really looking forward to it. We also get to go to the temple today, which will be wonderful.

I love and miss you all so much! If I get too homesick, I just suck on one of the lemon candies that dad gave me and it makes me feel better. Luckily, they keep us extremely busy, so I don't have much spare time to think about home. Each day is wonderful and spiritual, but so long. I feel like they try to fit three days' worth of work into one day, so we all feel like we've been here for about a month already. I feel like I start every journal entry with 'I'm exhausted', but it's the good kind of tired.

There are a little over 90 missionaries here in total. Only 19 of us are from America. We are the first American missionaires to come to this MTC (CCM). We are still in the old Mexico CCM, so we will also be the last American missionaries here before they move tot the Mexico CCM. It's definitely a new and interesting experience for all of us to be in the minority. All of the Latinos are wonderful though. They are extremely friendly and they think we're all really funny. We always end up laughing with them, usually at our inability to communicate. We eat all of our meals with them. They usually teach us Spanish, but occasionally we teach them some English. Their favorite words so far have been marshmallow and cantaloupe. They think those are really strange words and struggle with saying them.

This truly is a program of immersion. They only speak Spanish to us and we are only supposed to speak Spanish with eachother. My mind is kind of in this transition stage. I can't fully think in Spanish yet, but English is beginning to sound like a foreign language too. It's actually taking quite a bit of effort to write this in English.

We started teaching our first 'investigator' on Thursday . . . also completely in Spanish. For the record, that's extremely difficult when you don't speak the language. Neither one of my companions knows Spanish very well, so I'm left to use the little Spanish that I know to take point on the lessons. I had a strong spiritual experience during our first lesson. I didn't feel like the lesson was going in the right direction, so I decided to put my books down (the ones that tell me how to speak Spanish) and just bear my testimony to the investigator to the best of my ability. I was blessed by the Spirit with el don de lenguas, the gift of tongues. The Spirit was so strong. It was a much needed experience because I had been getting a little frustrated with the language.

Yesterday, one of the latina hermanas got to see her mom on the temple grounds. Her mom didn't speak English, but she wanted to meet us. She told us that she knows this work is difficult, but it is so important for us to do. Then she gave us both hugs and told us that our families love us. Even though I had never even met this woman before, I was able to feel a really strong connection to all of you through her. It was definitely a tender mercy from the Lord. I am blessed with so many tender mercies every day. We all are. They're testimonies to me that Heavenly Father loves us so much.

Sunday was also a wonderful day. We got a much needed break from our usual classes. We only meet with the American missionaries. My branch presidency is amazing. President Christiansen reminds me a lot of Jimmy Stewart and I love talking to him. He also doesn't speak any Spanish, so he kind of understands how flustered we all feel.

In one of our Sunday lessons, we spoke about true conversion. We read a lot from the scriptures and from Elder Bednar's October 2012 General Conference talk. I encourage you all to read it, it's an inspired, beautiful lesson on conversion. President Pratt's wife taught a lesson about the Book of Mormon. She pointed out that the people of ancient times, the Nephites, Lamanites, etc, didn't have the Book of Mormon. This is a book that is meant specifically for us. The prophet's saw our day and included what they were inspired to know was necessary. We have to talk advantage of that blessing.

I don't have much time left, but I want you all to know that I love you all so much and that I know this gospel is true. I'm so grateful for all of you.

Hola!

Hola mi familia! I miss and love you all so much, but I know I'm where I'm supposed to be! I arrived at the MTC around 8 o'clock last night and we were all exhausted. On the flight to Atlanta Hermana Sanchez and I sat next to a man on his way home to Alabama named Bobo Jackson. He was an extremely sweet older man with a deep southern accent. He knows the bible like the back of his hand and spoke to us about it for the majority of the flight. Towards the end of the flight, he told us that we have many more years left than he does and that we should spend those years sharing what we know with people. He was not a member, but he told us that every time he has had interaction with LDS missionaries, he's been able to tell that there is something special about them. Even though he did not have the fullness of the gospel, he had the Spirit with him. We were so blessed to be able to sit by him.

We just finished going through orientation and I am definitely going to learn Spanish by immersion. For the most part, they only speak Spanish to us (which made orientation interesting) I'm understanding it fairly well because they're speaking slowly and being very patient with us all. The dorms that we're living in are fairly nice, and I have a feeling we'll be missing their 'luxury' once we get to Panama. Also, the food here is wonderful. So much fruit!

Mexico City is beautiful! It was pouring rain when we got here last night and I thought the temperature was perfect, but all of the natives were freezing (it was about 75 degrees). We're entering the rainy season, so it pretty much pours every afternoon. The MTC is right next to the temple, so that was the first thing we got to see. That was a wonderful way to be welcomed into the city, and it felt like all the craziness of the streets was left behind us. It's such a radiant building and I'm hoping we get a chance to go while we're here.

I am in a companionship with 2 other sisters. Hermana Sanchez is almst 20 and from Taylorsville. Her dad is from Mexico, but she doesn't know any Spanish because they didn't speak it much in the home. Hermana Bennett is 19 and from Idaho Falls. I'm the youngest one of the group. We are also the only English-speaking sisters going to Panama. The latino sisters arrived this morning, but we haven't gotten much of a chance to meet them, then there's also the issue of the language barrier. I guess it's a good thing that the Spirit is a universal language. I think there are also 6 English-speaking elders that are going with us. We all got to know each other pretty well on the plane and we were able to find some cool connections between us all.

I was studying the love of God most recently. One of the key attributes of Christ was His complete selflessness and His love for people; that is what allowed Him to touch so many lives. Also, in Alma 20, King Lamoni's heart was changed once he saw the love of God in Ammon, that's what made the difference. I think that's what missionary work is all about. We can reach people by serving them and teaching them the love and joy that they can feel when they live the gospel and make personal covenants with God. We've been so blessed to have the knowledge that we do and the truth that we have sets us apart from the rest of the world. I'm looking forward to sharing it with others. The more the merrier!

I don't have much else to say yet because it's all still fairly new to me, but I can feel that there is a sacred Spirit in this building and with these people. The MTC president and his wife are wonderful and so kind. We're in good hands.

I love you all more than I could possibly express and I'm grateful for each of you!

Go forward with faith,

Hermana Falslev (: