Share the Light!

Buenas dias!!! :)
Como estan? Estoy muy bien y mi semana fue muy buena y divertida tambien! :)
Haha.. Hi everyone! :) I hope you all are having a lovely Monday :)

This week really was a blast!

Mia, Maye, and Me :)

Highlights:

>So you will see this in my pictures, but I colored my companions hair last week! It was really fun :)

>Big thing. My companion and I moved this past week to Lehi! :) But sadly the first experience of moving in was smelling a big wiff of the minkies!!! We have two mink farms here in Lehi.. lol and it stinks! haha Luckily the smell comes and goes. lol Our landlords are awesome though! :) We are living with the Coughran's :) They are really nice and sweet! They both do crafts and he does pottery! He has a pottery wheel in his house! So awesome! :) Our last landlord, Brother Rades..was really sad to see us go. We were really sad as well! His family was going to be moving back in their home so they needed the space. He said for us to come back AT LEAST 1 time a week for a meal with him and his wife. He is so sweet! :) We are going to miss him!

>Hermana Despain, Amber, and I at the temple :)

>On Tuesday we got to the temple with our district :) and we all ate at Paradise Cafe, which is where Amy and Rachel took me right before going into the MTC last June! So crazy right!? Then on Saturday my companion and I got to go the temple with Amber, a recent convert who got baptized last October :) It was SO FUN! :) We unfortunately had to wait for 3 hours though....that is a long long long time lol It is so funny to me because that is really unheard of outside of Utah! lol Then after the temple, with her and her in-laws, we all went to Cosco on the way back and we hit ALL of the samples :) hehe it was really fun :)

>Little girl Lilani, who was sitting next to me on the chair, fell asleep in my arms! I love and miss working so much with little kids :)

>Yesterday, my comp and I gave talks in the English ward. This is only my 2nd talk on my mission and one is in Spanish and the other, English. And it is about the same amount for my comp who has been out 15 months now. So we were talking with the English elders and they said that they have been out 20 months and they have given AT LEAST 70 talks!! o mi gatos....lol That is a lot! But I might have opened a big can of worms at our stake coordination meetings yesterday where I said that we want to speak more in their wards. haha....bad idea! haha :) jk

>Mia and Maye!!! :) I LOVE THEM!!! With the cute little Spanish bookmarks my lovely sister Jaime gave me to handout :) Thanks jaim :)

>Yesterday, Eva AND her husband Juan came to church!!! :) YAY! He is really stubborn so he says he doesn't feel anything, but I think he does a little bit. We also had a lesson on the plan of salvation last night with them and after some persistance on my part lol he said the closing prayer! :) It was so great!

>Everyone, just know that I am having a BLAST here :) I love my companion!! We have transfer calls next monday and I don't want to leave and I don't want my comp to leave either! Saratoga Springs is AMAZING! Our spanish ward, seriously is the best :) Yesterday we just asked people, who usually always go to gospel doctrine, to join our investigators and recent converts in our gospel principles class, and they just picked up their things and headed on in there. :) Our bishop is so on board with everything. He has even asked us to pick three names that we have prayed about for him to go visit during the week. He is awesome! :)

This ITSY BITTY TINY WEENY Chihuahua! :)

>I know that this wonderful gospel is true! As I was giving my talk yesterday, it just hit me even more that we have this amazing truth and others are lost and don't know where to find it. We are the key to helping them learn the truth and not be lost anymore. We have the everlasting light, we know our Savior Jesus Christ died for us and through Him we can be saved and be happy for forever and ever. We need to share this with everyone. It is really simple :) Just share your testimony, live the gospel and show forth your mighty example :) I promise, as it says in the scriptures, that Jesus Christ will be with us. It just doesn't make sense for Him to leave us alone if we talk to our family or friends about the Gospel. We will know what to say because the spirit will put the words in our mouth :) I testify of this and I know that by sharing the gospel, our light will truly shine and we will be strong and wonderful instruments in the hands of the Lord. :)

I hope you all have a lovely week and will take the time to share your testimony with just one person this week!! :)

Love you!!
Love, Hermana Derges :)

 

 

Improving the Little Things :)

 

I hope you all had a fun week and a fun Valentine's day! :) I had a nice "missionary awareness" day! haha :D

So this week was super fun :) I was laughing so much everyday! (not like that is too out of the ordinary :) lol)

 

 

>This past week I got to go on an exchanges with Hermana Cordova! My trainer! It was so fun! :) We were reminiscing about our fun time in Provo :) I love her! :)

 

 

>On Valentine's day Hermana Despain, Cordova, Quintana and I went to eat at taco bell and a lovely lady paid for us! :) So sweet! :) We also took some funny pictures to show our "love" for this lovely day :) haha Happy "Missionary Awareness" Day! :) (aka Valentine's Day)

 

>So we went to see Sister Bell :) She ALWAYS has us do service for her! :) Which WE LOVE her for that :) Last week she had us go get a fish sandwich from McD's and this week she had us go to Wally world to get some bread and snacks for her because she was feeling a little under the weather. When we went to Wally world, we saw someone that Hermana Cordova knows. He was SO FUNNY! He was with his 4 daughters and He was asking how he could help us, because he wants to help the missionaries. We said that we don't need any help and he was like "I need you to tell me how to help the missionaries lol"...he cracked me up! Then he saw our stuff and said "put your things in my cart!" We said that we already have money to pay for our things and he said "put your things in my cart!" Then he paid for us lol It was so great :) Then we told Sister Bell and it made her so happy that someone would do that! :) Fun night!

 

Utah Valley

>Fun FHE with the Retamales :) We played this categories game where one person with a cap full of water goes around and everyone must say something from that category and if you say the same one as the person with the water then you get water splashed in your face! lol :) so fun!

 

>So yesterday at church...the WHOLE Gutierrez family came :) and Eva came as well!!! So amazing!! :) I just made my day! :) This week we already have our nights booked with appointments :) It is so amazing! :)

>Last thing! This past week we had zone conference and my mission president was teaching that if we improve the small things in our life by just 1% everyday we can improve so much! The little things add up :) The little things such as scripture study, prayer, being exactly obedient. I am striving to improve these little things in the daily work I do and I am already seeing a difference. That's the magic of it :) And Heavenly Father will help us if we want to make improvements. We don't have to make leaps and bounds in a day, but over time we can make it to where we want to be and more importantly to where our Heavenly Father wants us to be :)

>Anywhoo! I hope you all have a great week!

Thank you for all of your love! :)

Love, Hermana Derges :)

He's Been There Before

The alarm bell rings at 6:30, I stumbled to my feet

I grab my companions bedding and pull off his sheets

A groan fills the room, is it already time to arise?

It seems like just a second ago, I was able to shut my eyes

The morning activities follow– study, prayer and such

When it's time to leave the apartment, you feel you haven't accomplished much

"We have a super day planned,"

My comp. says with a grin

I lowly utter a faithless breath,

"Yeah, if anyone let's us in."

With the word of God and my faithful Schwinn, we ride off in the street prepared to

Face another day of humidity and heat

It's 9:30 in the evening, the day is almost through

My champion And I are riding home not accomplishing what we thought to do

We ride up to the mailbox, hoping to receive a lot

Only to look inside and hear my echo reverberate "air box"

We go up to our apartment, the day is now complete

The only thing to show for our work is a case of blistery feet

It's past 10:30 p.m. My companion is fast asleep,

Silence engulfs me all about and I begin to weep

In the midst of sadness, I kneel down to pray

I need to talk to Father, but I'm not sure what to say

"Oh, Father" I begin, "What happened to us today?

I thought we'd teach somebody, but everyone was away

My hands, my aching hands– worn, hurt and beat;

If our area was any smaller, we'd have knocked every street"

"Why on missions are the days so much alike?

The only difference about today was the flat tire on my bike

Will you send some cooler weather? The heat is killing me

I sweat so bad, it gets in my eyes, it's very hard to see"

"Why do I have to wear a helmet, isn't your protection enough?

People always laugh at me, and call me stupid stuff

Please send us investigators so I may give them what they lack

I want to give them Books of Mormon, the weight of them hurts my back"

"And what about my family: They don't have much to say

I'm sick of not hearing from home, day after day after day

Oh Father, Why am I here am I just wasting time?

Sometimes I just want to go home, I'm sorry but that's on my mind"

"My companion, Heavenly Father, what are you giving me?"

The way he rides his bicycle, I don't think he can see

Now you have it, I can't go on, I don't know what to do

That, my Father in heaven, is the prayer I have for you"

My prayer now finished, I stand up, then jump right into bed

I need my rest for tomorrow, we have another long day ahead

Sleep start to overtake me, I seem to drift away

Then it seems a vision takes me to another time in another day

I'm standing alone on a hill. The view is very nice

A man walks towards him and says, "my name is Jesus Christ"

Tears of joy well up inside, I fall down to His feet

"Arise," He states, "Follow me to the shade. You and I need to speak"

My attention's towards my Savior, total and complete

He says, "Your mission is similar of what happened to me

I understand how you feel, I know what you're going through

In fact, it would be fair to say I've felt the same as you"

"I even know how you felt when no one listened to you

At times I felt not quite sure what else I could do

I know you don't like to ride a bicycle, for you a car would be sweet

Just remember the donkey I rode wasn't equipped with 21 speeds"

"I understand you don't like sweating, in fact it's something you hate

I remember when I sweat blood from ev'ry pore, oh the agony was great!

I see you don't like your companion- you'd rather have someone else-

I once had a companion named Judas who sold my life for wealth"

"It's hard to wear a helmet and have people make fun of you

I remember when they put thorns on my head and called me King of the Jews

So you feel burdened down by the weight of your pack

I recall how heavy the cross was when they slammed it on my back"

"Your hands hurt from tracting and knocking on doors all day

I guess when they pounded nails into mine, I ached in a similar way

It's hard not to hear from home when your family's not there to see

I lost communication on the cross and cried, Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?"

"We have a lot in common, but there's a difference between us you see

I endured to the end and finished my mission, so follow and do like me"

He embraced me with His arms and His light filled me with His love

With tears in my eyes I watched as He went back to the Father above

I stood with awe and wonder when a beep rang in my head

I listened and heard the alarm, then realized I was in my bed

My companion let out a groan, "6:30 already, no way!"

I sat up and said, "Come on, I'll even carry your scriptures today!"

No matter what we go through,

When we feel we can't take more

Just stop and think about Jesus Christ,

He's been there before! 

By Elder Troy Whittle

Texas Houston Mission

I just love this poem! I know this is written from a missionary's perspective, but we can all put ourselves in this missionary's shoes.  We all have hard days and times in our lives.  I know that life isn't that easy, but as I look to my Savior, Jesus Christ, it becomes easier to bear :) He really has been where we have been because He went through everything that we would go through in our lives. In the Book of Mormon, in Alma 7:11-13 we learn more about His Atoning sacrifice. He suffered and died for us so that we wouldn't ever feel hopeless or alone.  I know that Christ can help us get through anything in our lives.  If we have a problem or we feel like no one else will understand, we can pray to our Father in heaven and ask for us to feel the power of the Atonement in our lives.  We can ask to have our burdens be made light and to have a sorrows washed away.  Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ both love us so much and they want to help us. And the best way we can receive that help and feel more love is through prayer.  For me, prayer has unlocked a major door for me to feel the amazing effects of the Atonement and to feel that I am loved. I know that prayer really works and that Heavenly Father is really listening to us. I know that my Savior died for me that I can have hope and feel peace in this life.  I know that when we "just stop and think about Jesus Christ" and pray more, we can feel and know that He has really been through everything that we are going through before and that everything is going to be alright. I know that these things are true with all of my heart and soul and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

It is Worth More Than a Million Dollars!

 >So item number 1...I CAN FINALLY ROLL MY R's!!!!!!! Oh my goodness, this is seriously a miracle lol and it is SO FUN! :) haha :D I have been trying to do this basically for forever and now I can do it :) YAY!!! 

>I had exchanges this past week and I headed over to Eagle Mountain...which is a suburb in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! lol Over in City Central they don't even have a grocery store..lol Just gas stations and schools lol Hopefully they never get a blizzard! The exchange was really fun though :) Hermana Quintana served in Payson! So it was fun talking about the people and our experiences there! :)

>On Tuesday we got to go to the gorgeous Mount Timpanogos Temple!!! It is seriously so pretty. The stain glass is spectacular! I am so excited that we get to go so often here :) I love it! I love feeling the Spirit there!! It is so strong and you can just feel Heavenly Father's love so deeply!!! :) 

>We had really great lessons this past week :) We had a lesson with Hermano Gutierrez and he is SO READY for baptism. He was a little taken back by not being able to drink coffee a little while back. But at our lesson this past Saturday , he just said that he will just follow it and he won't question a commandment from God. SO COOL! :) We did have to move back his date a little to March 15, but he felt really good about that. So YAY!!! :) 

>We had our Spanish ward's valentines party on Friday night :) We went to help and to get to know more of the ward. It was so so fun! :) We got to spend time with a little girl, Maye, that we teach. Her grandma is a recent convert and she was helping at the party as well. It was really fun :) We left to get home on time and we heard that everyone stayed til around 12 singing and dancing! haha :)

Maye y Yo :)

>Then the grand finale of the week :) Eva, our amazing investigator who when I was on exchanges, she told my comp that she wants to be BAPTIZED!!! :) And then she came to church yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!! When she came in to sacrament meeting, I was SO EXCITED!!!! SO AMAZING!! She said she loved it and that she felt really good and happy!!! Last night, we had a lesson with her and Juan about the Plan of Salvation and it was so amazing :) Seriously I love this family!! :) We are so lucky to be teaching them!!! :) 

>I love this work, I love the feeling I get when someone keeps their commitments or wants to be baptized. I feel like I am on top of the world!!!! I LOVE IT!! :) This feeling is amazing because we are sharing something so spectacular with those we love :) Missionary work is seriously so cool! We are giving something to people that is worth more than a million dollars. We have it, we have this amazing Gospel and I feel so lucky to have my badge that has Jesus Christ's name on it :) to be a representative of Him :) I know this work is true and I can feel the Spirit everyday because I am sharing the Gospel. You all can feel this way as well :) Just go out and talk about the Gospel with your friends, coworkers, family members, ANYONE! Share your testimony, and this doesn't have to mean like the ones we give in Sacrament meeting but just simply testifying that you know that Heavenly Father loves you, that you know that your family can be together forever, serving someone, smiling :) Really anything that helps people feel your love and feel Heavenly Father's love. That is missionary work. Looking out for your neighbor and caring and loving them :) I know that this is so true :) Just try it and I know you will feel the Spirit or if anything else, just simply happier :)

I love you all!! Have a wonderful week and a fun valentines day!!! :)

Love, Hermana Derges :)

With Christ Anything is Possible

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful week! :)

This past week was so good! :)

Highlights:

>My comp and I didn't get eaten by this enormous scary dog!! AHH!! lol :) this is a very good highlight :)
 

 

>I got to play with a chameleon named Pascuel, like off of Tangled!!! SO COOL!!! :)

>This past week my district went out to a Chinese/Japanese restaurant and our waitress was SUPER interested in us! She asked us all sorts of questions! As a district, we got to tag team teach her! :) It was so so cool! She was asking where the church was so that she can go to it! :) She was super interested and so sweet! Hopefully we can have the Asian Elders come soon to teach her! :) Also to just top it all off, I got yummy sushi and an awesome fortune cookie! haha :)
 

>I forgot to mention last week that we got to put Hermano Gutierrez on date for February 22! :) So awesome! :) He is so ready! We are so excited!!! Yesterday in Gospel Principles, he was answering the questions of a recent convert and he had all the right answers! :)

>Also, my trainer Hermana Cordova is my sister training leader here in Saratoga Springs! So I get to go on exchanges with her!! YAY!!! :) 

>We had two amazing lessons with our new investigators, Eva y Juan this past week! :) They both have been reading the Book of Mormon!!! :) SO AMAZING!! When I was testifying that they only way they can know for themselves that this book is true is by reading it and praying about it, I could feel the Spirit of the Lord testifying through me. This was the greatest feeling ever! :) I know that this amazing church is true! I know it with all of my heart! :) I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God! :) I am studying it in Spanish and I love it! I can just feel the Spirit when I read and I learn the exact things that I needed to hear in my life.
 

This Gospel is just so amazing! I know that when trials come, that through Christ we can overcome EVERYTHING! Life is hard. but He can lift us out of the depths of our despair, He can brighten our day and our hope for an even brighter future. He can cause our hearts to rejoice for the good in our lives, even amongst all of the sorrow that we may be feeling. You can pray for guidance and for hope and for faith. Know that He is always with you. Never give up the fight. He loves you and wants the very best for you. He is our Savior. I know He lives and died for me and for you. He knows how to help us. Trust in Him. He will never let you down. I know that all of this is true with all of my heart

and I say all this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. :)

Love, Hermana Derges