Blessings

Hi everyone! :)

I hope you all have fun plans for the 4th of July! Our neighbors out here are already shooting off fireworks! Haha :)

So this past week was really really great! :)

It started off really fun! Hna Abellan and I went to the curiosity museum :) We had a blast! We have fun pics too :)


Then we went on exchanges with our sister training leaders :) I went with Hermana Smith, she is from Oklahoma! :) Small world! :) It was really fun serving with her for a day!

So my year mark was this past Thursday! And it was the BEST! Hermana Abellan was sooooo sweet and planned a surprise party at the Alfaro's home :) we got their for our last lesson with Emilio and we knocked on the door and they started singing! haha :) It was so amazing and thoughtful! :) My compy is the best! :)

We have been teaching a great family :) Artemia and her two sons Javier and Marco. :) We went on a church tour with Artemia this past week and she wants to be baptized. She knows that is it the right thing and she feels it is right :) The spirit was so so strong! She just a couple of obstacles to overcome, but we feel a miracle is going to happen to help her reach her goal :) I am so so pumped for her!!! :)

Emilio!

Then on Saturday was Emilio's baptism!!! :) It was so amazing! :) Hermana Abellan and I played another musical number :) I also was leading the music and a little girl came up and started leading with me :) She was so animated!!! haha :) I liked having my little partner up there! :) Emilio was so ready and we are so excited for what blessings he will see in his life! While they were changing after the baptism, we passed around note cards for everyone to write a little note with their testimony on it for Emilio. We made into a little book for him and he loved it! :) The baptism was such an amazing amazing highlight from this week! Eva, our recent convert from April, also loves going to the baptisms :) and plus she always shares her testimony with them! She is the best! :)

Go Pokes!

I know that this gospel is true and that we can always become better because we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ is our lives :) what an amazing blessing that is! :) I know that He lives and loves us and understands our hearts. He and Heavenly Father want the best for us :) This is a gospel of happiness and peace and love and comfort. Heavenly Father is a loving god, who will always bless us. Our blessings may come in different forms, but they always come. :)

I love you all :) Thank you for all of your love and support out here!!

With love, Hermana Derges :)

Real Quick!

Hola todo!!!

Temple Day! :)

So this past week was fantastic! Unfortunately....I wrote my usually long weekly email and was about to send it and....it erased!!!!! That took me a good 30 minutes lol...So basically I don't have time to send you a long email again, but I do want to give you quick highlights from the week :)

 

 

 

Crazy weather in the summer!

 Tuesday we were able to go to the temple! :) It was as amazing and lovely as usual :) I love the feeling I feel when I am in the house of the Lord :)

July 4th plans!!! As a mission, we are all walking in the huge Provo parade that day and then we are on lockdown for the evening with our district at a chapel and we are going to be watching the movie FROZEN!! yay!! we are sooooo excited!! :)

This week on Thursday is my year mark..........ahhhhhhhh! Where has time flown??? lol

Emilio is all set for his baptism this Saturday!! YAY! :) We are soooooo pumped and he is going to have such an amazing experience! The Lord's has prepared him so so much! :)

 

My District!

We have an amazing new family that we are teaching! They are so ready for the gospel! They came to church on Sunday and we are seeing them tonight! :)

I know this gospel this true!!!! :) The Lord really does prepare people!!! :)

I love you all! Have a great week!!! :)

Hermana Derges

Happy Week!

Hey! Great week!! :)

I just want to start with the best thing that happened this past week! :) Librado was baptized on Saturday!!! :) yay! He was so happy and so ready for that day! :) He was such an amazing investigator, he would accept and do all the commitments with all of his heart. He wants his family to hear the gospel as well!! :) They are in Mexico and they were happy and content that he chose to get baptized :) That has got to mean something! :) Hermana Abellan and I played a flute/piano musical number too :) Overall and in short, it was just an amazing baptism! :)

So there is not really anything else that could top that for the week :) hehe

I do have to tell you all, we now can receive emails on our ipads! So that means if you all need/want to email me something today or any other day of the week, I can read it :) And from 10am - 6pm on mondays I can respond too! :) I, of course, cannot chat all day (because pday is short! haha) but I can respond and answer questions during that time on Mondays. ok? :) Just so you all know! You can email me at callie.derges@myldsmail.net

But other than that, this week was exciting! and it was really good :)

I love this girlie :)

I just want to let you know that I love being a missionary! I love sharing my testimony about how Heavenly father loves us and how the gospel truly is the only thing that will bring everlasting happiness! It really is so true. Seek first the Kingdom of God and you will be the happiest you have ever been! I know that by reading the Book of Mormon that we can feel the spirit and feel full of light and truth :)

I love you all!! I hope you have a lovely week :)

love, Hermana Derges :)

We are Children of our Loving Heavenly Father!

:) Como va todo? 

Estoy super bien :) Esta semana pasada fue muy divertida y exitosa! 

On Monday, my compy and I got haircuts. My comp has, well I guess 'had', REALLY REALLY thick hair lol It was her first time getting it layered and thinned! Wow! It was crazy to see the difference. There is a pic of all her hair after being cut lol It was about how much hair I have on my head lol 

 That is MORE hair than what I have on my head!

AND!!!! Hermana Abellan had her FIRST snowcone EVERRRR!!! Oh my goodness I was so excited for her lol She loved it! :D

We had lunch with Brother Rades' family on Wednesday and his sweet brother, Chad was visiting from Arizona. He is so so neat and funny! He has downs and is such a sweetheart! All through lunch he would give us high fives and just be smiling and complimenting everyone! So awesome! 

Chad!

In the South Stake, there was a huge clothing exchange. Everyone brought clothes for all ages to the stake center on Friday and on Saturday anyone can come and get clothes for free! It is an amazing idea to help anyone with kids to get new sizes for their growing kids or for missionaries to get a couple new shirts...hehehe :) But really, it was such a neat idea. We saw so many of our Spanish ward members there and also our investigators too! :) It was really fun

Librado had his baptismal interview on Saturday!!! Yay! he is ready for his baptism this Saturday! :) I am sooooooooooooo excited!! I think I am going to play the flute and my compy the piano :D I can't wait to show you all pictures. He is SO amazing and so ready for this day. He wants to follow the Savior and do all that he can to be obedient! Saturday is going to be a special day :) 

Also! Emilio y Cristina are on date!! I am super pumped! We taught Emilio 3 times this past week and he says that everything in the gospel makes sense to him :) He accepts and follows through with ALL his commitments. Seriously everyone, this area is receiving so many blessings from our Heavenly Father. Carlos and Eva and now Librado, Emilio and Cristina! :) Our ward is so so amazing and welcoming and loving. These amazing investigators are very fortunate and lucky to have such a great ward to welcome them in and support them :) :) 

I love this area and the gospel!!! :) yesterday, we were able to testify to a couple of teenagers, who say they do not believe in the gospel, that the gospel is true. That they are true sons and daughters of God. The Spirit was so so strong. I could feel that they were touched by the message. I just want to share my testimony with all of you that each and every one of are children of our loving Heavenly Father. He really does love us and care about us. He knows us more than we know. I know that He listens to every prayer and sends us real answers :) 

Les quiero muchisimo!!! :) Gracias por todo su amor :)

 

Que tengan un buen dia!!!!! :)

Con mucho amor, Hermana Derges :)

Daily Nourishment

:) This week has been crazy but fun!!!!

As all of you know, my compy Hermana Despain finished her mission!!!! :) She is home now and I am sooooooooo happy and excited for her. I miss her tons, but she is with her family and completed her mission here in the Utah Provo Mission :)

Librado y Hermana Despain y Yo :)

So on Wednesday! I got an amazing new companion!!! Her name is Hermana Abellan :) She is from Barcelona, Spain! She has been out about a year, just a transfer more than me :) She is so funny, she is learning English, but she is already perfect at it! I think we are going to have a really fun time and work really hard. She is also going to help me with my Spanish!!! lol it is really funny because I only want to talk in Spanish and she only wants to talk in English so that she can learn more English haha so we talk in Spanglish a lot :D
 

The Saturday before last, I was able to go with Hermana Despain to a sealing (in Spanish!) of one of her recent converts in Mount Timpanogos. Then Hermana Abellan had a couple of recent converts receive their endowments and were sealed in the Provo temple this past Saturday! It was so so amazing! It was the first sealing I have ever been to and the first Spanish endowment session :) It was so so neat!

Hermana Abellan's first S'more!!!

 

Las hermanas de nuestro barrio :)

So on Wednesday evening, at the final testimony of all the missionaries going home, we were able to go because Hna Abellan was playing the piano and a lot of sisters including me were able to sing :) It was a really neat night hearing the testimonies of 17 missionaries coming home and including the testimonies of our President and his wife :)

The Davis Clark Family :)

Something that I liked about what one sister said, was that if you are losing your way or if you are struggling in your testimony, remember back to what helped you gain it or want a testimony in the first place. We all struggle sometimes, but we just need to hold on to what we believe and move forward from there. Heavenly Father knows that we struggle and we will fall sometimes, but He has given us many tools and resources; such as the scriptures, our leaders, our family and friends, prayer, and so much more- to help us get back up again and again. The most important tool that we have is the Atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ :) We need to trust in Him and rely solely on Him. Hold true to the faith that you have and nurture and cultivate it. We need to be doing this everyday. Just like drinking or eating, we need to do it several times a day in order to be energized. It is the same with our spirits. Daily scripture study and prayer and service are the key :) let us feel us our spiritual tank so that our spirits will not be malnourished :) I know by doing the simply doing the basics, we will be blessed in so so so many ways :) I know that this is true and you can to if you try it for a while. You will see a difference and won't want to turn back :)

 Alma y Yo :)

I love this gospel and my mission. I am learning a lot and I am most importantly coming closer to my Savior by helping others to do so :)

I love you all :) Have a fantastic week and keep your spiritual tank filled!! :)
 

Gretchen ;)

Love, Hermana Derges :)