Sooooooooo..... We have another mini misionera!!!! and so now we have 2 which takes a huge stress off of my shoulders.... huge!!!! Now i dont have to find a companion eveyday.  it makes me feel so much better, although it does put 4 girls in a 1 room apartment.  which im not sure is such a great idea because sometimes it gets a little out of hand.  they are a lot of fun... but its hard to get the times to work out just right.  Im just glad im a master at getting ready fast.  there have been times when i have 10 minutes to shower and get dressed and be ready to start studying... 2 minutes once.... okay sometimes i start late but usually only like 5 minutes... but its an adventure everyday. 

But they are such a blessing. i feel like the work is really progressing. we are finding a lot of good people.  also some people who really dont want anything but little by little we are finding ways to work better with the members, to teach well, to help the people progress and to read the book of mormon.  the next obstacle we have to jump is getting them to go to church... a lot of them just dont believe that they can control that.  there is always something that happens that keeps them from doing what is right nad sometimes (im not going to lie) it FRUSTERATES ME.... they just blame cualquier cosa.  and its just excuses... and it makes me sad.  I just want these people to be so happy. because i am happy and i know that this is the only way to truly be happy. the only way. and Satan doesnt want us to be happy but he really doesnt have power over us unless we let him have power over us. if we decide that we arente going to do what he wants, he cant make us. he cant keeps us from going to church if we really want to go. but we have to have the faith to do it. And sometimes it takes a lot of faith. 

I am so glad that the Lord gave us the gift of Agency. I really know that we ahve the opportunity to choose for ourselves and if we choose wrong we cant choose the consequences and we cant get the blessings back tht we lost.  But we can always take a stand and change our destiny.  But we really have to have faith and trust in God. and sometimes that is really scary... but if we can do it to just show a little bit of faith, he will show us that he will take care of us and make us strong.

our recent convert Nahuel, is an example of that. he really had to change his life a lot. adn sometimes its hard for him.  and when we tell him that he needs to something he tells us that it will be hard.but then he does it.  For his baptism. he didnt want his friends or his family to know... but after his confirmation he told them nad they got a little mad at him but hten he told us that it didnt matter he wasnt going to change his mind. and eh says that he cant talk to people or go on a mission but now is coming to work with us and he shares his testimony with people he doesnt know and its so cool!!!!! well thats what hermana farr tells me.. he is usually with her and hermana montero.  they are amazing 

but i am trying to have more confidence in the lord and really show him that i am going to say what he wants me to say and be what he wants me to be.  and as i am really trying to do that i am seeing so many more miracles. For example: we have an investigator Tatiana who never reads and these past 2 weeks we have really tried to follow the spirit and somethign changed and now she is reading!!!!! it was so cool

well i should go. i love you all and im so glad to hear from you all!!!! i hope you all have a lot of confidence in your Heavenly Father nad Jesus Christ. they can do anything. 

cuidense mucho!!!!! Lesquiero

hermana applegate

HOLA!!!!!!!! ¿COMO ESTAN? espero que todo esta bien con ustedes.  Que esten felices y animados para la proxima semana....

 

okay so i just wanted to write a little bit in spanish.  but whatever is going to happen this week i hope that you make the concious descision to be happy and excited for whatever will come.  ive realized here that that really just makes all the difference.  Ive realized that there are days and i wake up and im tired and i really just dont want to get out of bed... and those are the days that we arent as successful or happy and arent the best. but there are days when i wake up and im tired and i tell myself.. no shake it off.. this is going to be a great day. and make the concious effort to look for hte blessings and the good things in whatever happens... i am happy and i have a good day... even if everyone says that they arent interestedand we get dumped.. (really we get dumped all the time... so ive just gotten used to it.. :) ).  but ive realized that our attitude is everything in this life. 

 

if we decide that we are just going ot be grumpy about a situation or not like somebody or that we just cant do something.. we will never do it and we will never be happy or accept another person... we have a person that we are teaching... his name is franco and is a teenager taht really lost his way... and we found him thorugh a great miracle... but he has a lot of problems that he has to get under control to be able to move ahead and when he has the mindset that he is so terrible he just falls down again...  like for example.  all week he was so sure that he could go to church.. but so sunday mornig we went to go with him to church he came out and said that he couldnt go... because his shoes were wet.. and he couldnt go in his flip flops... he doesnt have nice clothes... but we were trying to help him understand that its more important to go than worry about that and taht the next week he can plan and be better, but that he really needs to go to church... and he just ahd it in his mind that it was not good. and nothing we could say could convince him.. but htere are other days when he is positive and he feels like he can really accomplish somthing and he does!!!!! and he does a lot... its amazing what attitude can do.

 

I was thinking this week... especially today about alma the younger... and how amazing is his story. i mean really!!!!!! When he knew that somehting was wrong he could change in 3 days!!!! and he left completely clean.. TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY CLEAN from his errors.  he tells us that he was one of the vilest sinners... did some of the most terrible things that he could do.  but once he realized that he had a problem, he started to use the atonement.  OH MAN i am so grateful for the atonement. it is one of hte most amazing gifts the lord has given us.  I love alma 36 because there he really describes how he felt.  he felt terrible!!!! so much guilt. so much. 

 15 Oh, thought I, that I ^acould be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my ^bdeeds.
 16 And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the ^apains of a ^bdamned soul.
how terrible to feel that way right????  ugh i wish no one had to feel that. 
but he repented!!!!!! we was able to be clean completely from his sins.  he tells us later
19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my ^apains ^bno more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
 20 And oh, what ^ajoy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
 21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.
I just love that... i love to tell people that... that they really can be clean from their sins. all of the bad things that theyve done.  they can be clean.  and everyone of you can be too... everyone has mistakes and we all can... even the people who hurt us can be clean.. :) and that makes me so happy. everyone can change and we have to really help ALL people be clean from thier mistakes.  thats why we are here.  is to be clean and help everyone else do the same thing.
thats why the gospel is so stinkin important!!!! becasue this church is the only church who has the authority to help everyone be clean from thier sins. we should use it. and help other people use it nad not think so much about what they have done to us... becasue that just makes US unhappy... it doesnt take away the opportunity for the other person to be clean (taht means we have to forgive.. ourselves and everyone else...)
Ive really realized this a lot lately.  we have a little old lady in our ward who really is sweet and loving... at least to the missionaries.  she really takes good care of us.... but when it comes to everyone else. the ward, her family she is so bitter... so unhappy... becasue really terrible things have happened to her in the church... but she is just so unhappy and all she talks about is the terrible things that everyone has done to her... and its so sad.. nothing that we say helps her come out of htat...and it makes me sad... she doesnt find joy in anything... and ive really realized how bad taht is....
I am so happy here in the mission... so so HAPPY. and because of that i just want everyone else to be happy... when people do things they shouldnt it makes me sooooo sad, but then it makes me love them even more so that they can get out of it and be happy...
i learned that this week.. i know that Christs atonement is real. and i know he loves each and everyone of us..
i love youall and i hope you have a great week.. i hope you make it a wonderful week!!!!
and i just want to share one of my favorite quotes with you.. and least what i can remember from it:
"our deepest fear is not taht we are inadequate. our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. it is our light not our darkness that most defies(?im not sure if thats right) us.  we ask ourselves.  who am i to be lovely, talented, smart beautiful? but really who are you not to be? you are a child of god.  we are all meant to shine as children do. we were born to make manifest the light of god that shines in each of us.  your playing small does not serve the world. there is nothing enlightened aobut shrinking so that other people dont feel insecure around you.  by letting your light shine we unconciously give other people permission to do the same.  as we are liberated from our own fears, our presence, automatically liberates others...

okay its something like that... i dont remember exactly its beena long time since ive read it.
les quiero!!!
hermana applegate

hey everyone!!!!

i hope yall had a great christmas!!! and new years.  thanks everyone for your letters.  :) they made me really happy.  

this really was an amazing week for me.  and i learned so much.

one thing i learned that i wanted to share really quickly with everyone is about hte word of wisdom... people dont really follow the word of wisdom here.... im not just talking about the 5 things it says that we shouldnt consume..even though that is a problem sometimes.... but the good things too...  the main part of our diet is meat.... meat a rice. meat and potatoes... meat and noodles... meat and bread... ive realized that i dont really keep that part either. i have to eat what they give me and i eat a lot a lot more than i should and i have reallylearned taht it can have bad consequences.  dont worry!!!! im okay and my health is okay... but its not as good as it could be or should be.... but i think its like that with everyone.. i really studied it and i have sucha  love for this commandment. and i know that it is true. our bodies nad our spirits are so connected that we should do everything that we can to keep them healthy.  sometimes its becasue we eat a lot more htan we should or more sugar than we should. or less veggies than we should. but if we can really start to avoid doing things that damage our bodies... the excess of everything we really are going to be so much happier and healthier... i put the goal to live the word of wisdom a  lot better.... wich so far i need lots and lots of work. but i loved it.  but i hope to be healthier and healthier everyday (and hopefully lose some of the weight ive gained... dont worry.. im not sick or antyhing i just know i have a lot more to go to be perfectly healthy.... like better excercise... :) and not so much junk food...)and i hope you all start to work ont hat with me.. and it will be wonderful.

i dont have a whole lot more time but i want you all to know how wonderfully happy and joyful i am... this is an amazing gospel. this work is marvelous.. and i know that its the owrk of the lord. i can see it in the eyes of everyone that i meet and talk to.... i lvoe to see them happy when they do what they should and we have quite a few who are progressing... :)

have a wonderful week..

love yall

les quiero!!!
hermana applegate

hey everyone i got transfered today to salta!!! and salta is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! it is gorgeous. and it isnt nearly as hot as Santiago but i am going to miss santiago so much!!!!!! so so much.  i really felt like i had a lot more to do there until they called and said i had to go and then i felt peace. i felt ready but i still felt sad because i couldnt say goodbye to anyone. it was so sad.....

but now im here and my companion is hermana farr.... she is my first north american companion!  and shes new. im her madrastra.... (its stepmom... we call trainers moms and the 2nd companion stepmoms.... ) so its a lot of responsabiliy. but she is really great really funny.a dn we had such great adventure today!!!!!! haha.  so i came to salta with all of the people who are finnishing their missions. so i wouldnt travel alone.  but then we got to salta and my companion wasnt there.  her companion finnishes today too.a nd she was with her in the offices of the mission. and so iwent there. oh and i saw hermana ROJAS!!!!! oh it was so happy. i havent seen her in forever and it made me so so happy t see her. 

anyways... so we finally left the offices and waited like 20 minutes for a taxi and then we got to the apartment complex and we didnt have the keys!!! she left htem with hermana villena.  and we dont ahve a cell phone right now... so we had to talk to someone leave my stuff and go back to the offices and ask hermana villena for the keys. and she didnt have them either.  she left them in the door!!!!! ahhh so we had to find a way to get in... it was fun and we had to get kind of creative.. now i feel like i am here for a reason.  like i need to be here to help somone.and i love my companion so much.  ;) shes great.

hmmmm..... i was thinking about something i learned this week that would lift you all up spiritually but im not sure. the only thing that i can think of its the talk from elder uchtdorf  "forget me not"  i love this talk. it always helps me a lot but one quote really touched me this week and helped me be better.  it says:In the meantime, be thankful for all the small successes in your home, your family relationships, your education and livelihood, your Church participation and personal improvement. Like the forget-me-nots, these successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him.

i really like this a lot because i like how it says that maybe the changes, the miracles you see are tiny. so tinyt hat nobody notices the changes but it says taht they are NOT small to the lord.  none of our successes. the little changes we make are small to the lord. he says that "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass...." i know taht this is true. i know that he love s us and rejoices with us when we are making progress... no matter how small it is to everyone else.

i lov eyou all sooo so so much.

havea wonderful week

hermana applegate

hey everyone!!!!

how was youre week? Mine was really really good!  it was hard but it was soo good and so worth it.

So thanksgiving is this week? im so glad you told me because i wasnt sure if it was this week or the next.... :) i have planning thursday so i will have to do something... 

Haha but this week i met a lot of new people and realized how much i love the people here.  Ive realized sometimes its really hard to stop teaching the people who are not progressing. especially because i grow to love them so much that i want to just will them to do the things that they need to do. to progress... but it doesnt work that way. we have to love them and do the best that we can to help them grow and when they decide not to do it we cant do a lot just love them.  

But also this week i realized how much the Lord really loves us. he really loves us a lot and is so patient with us. but i also realized soemthing else.  we cannot destroy the work of the Lord with our mistakes.  we are going to have a lot of hem. but the Lord will always find another way to make something happen if its necesary. but he knows our weaknesses and knows what could happen and he takes a chance on us.  And i realized that the mission is more for me than it is for anyone else.  Yes i have the opportunity to help other people come unto christ and be saved and i love the change in their eyes when they knwo and they want to follow these things when they realize that the lord loves them and feel the spirit is the best thing in the world.  But ive realized that if someone else were here and not me, these people would still hear the gospel maybe at a different timeand  in differetn circumstances, but i would never have the opportunity to know them.  The Lord gives us the opportunity to serve for us. so that we can grow and have these wonderful experiences and i am so SOOOO thankful for that.

I think that applies to every circumstance of our lives.  he lets us pass for all the experiences we have for US. to help us learna nd be happy.  He loves us so so much and i know it. I know it with all of my heart. and i hope that you guys can feel the love of your heavenly father. 

we were teaching a woman this week who really doesnt feel like the Lord loves her and it made me so so sad.  and she didnt want to pray and ask him if he loves her. she didnt think that He would answer and didnt want to either... and man it just broke my heart!!!! Because i could feel that Heavenly father loved her and wanted her to be happy. that he wanted to tell her she just needed to ask.. . i secretly still have hope that she decided to ask.. Because i know that when we ask, he always tells us.  I love the scripture that Joseph Smith read because i know that it is true. "and if any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask of god, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him...." 

How POWERFUL is that promise.  how amazing.  he will always answer us and it doesnt matter how dumb we think the question is. if it matters to us, it matters to him.  

I want to invite all of you to pray.  really pray and talk to your heavenly father. and if you doubt that he is there or that he loves you. just ask him.  he will answer you.  i know because he answered me.  he answers me.  even if its something silly like "i need to feel pretty today" he always gives me somehting to make me feel pretty.  

will you guys pray and talk to god every day of your lives?  (here you all say "yes" in your minds)

Good I know that he loves you and you will feel that more and more in your lives if you do that. adn really come to him with humility....

well ive gotta go..

i love you all so so much.  ahve a wonderful week

les quiero!

hermana applegate

Hey everyone how are you all doing?!?!  I hope you are all doing good!

 

Im doing pretty good. I am constantly amazed at how preocupied The Lord is with his children.  with me!!!! and i know with everyone else.  I know that he loves us and that he wants us to be happy. That he wants us to seek the good out of everything.... hey that made me think of a song that i heard in the mission. a friend of my mtc companion sent me a cd and this song is on it and its one of my favorites.... its called "Seeking whats good" (you can find it on the page for youth at lds.org... and music.)  but it says

 

"the sunshine comes even when it rains. and even through darkness, the morning comes again.

I guess what im saying.. is that theres always something good that you can find.

and to see it, you open up your mind.

the bad will come and go. but through it all theres constant light for us to follow.

 

chorus: ive been opening up my eyes to see, all the beauty thats all around me

day after day and no matter what they say, I´ll follow it (somethign..) and come what may

ill be good, ill be strong and my heart will be pure, others may fall but ill endure.

cause im doing the things i should... seeking whats good..."

 

happiness comes to those who know, that all weve been given is a gift thats not our own.

i guess what im saying is that even when you make mistakes it only shows.

that together we still have room to grow, cant make it on our own.

but hand it hand we´ll walk the path that weve been shown.

chorus...

and even when trials come into our lives, faith makes our doubting soul take flight...."

 

its something like that... i dont remember all of the words. but i really like the song.  adn i know that the lord loves us. i know that  he wants us to be happy. so so happy.  and i know taht we can be happy only when we look for the good. and are grateful.  i learned a lot aobut gratitude this week and how important it is in our happiness.  we all have trials and dificulties. but, when we are grateful and seek the good, we can get over the hard stuff and be happy....

 

and yeah thats what i wanted to share this week.... its been a really eye opening week for me. ive seen people who seek the lord and seek the good and they can beat any trial that comes their way and ive seen people who get angry are pessimistic and only look at how hard it is and they dont grow at all....

 

so i want to invite you all to seek the good. be optimistic and trust in the lord. and when you guys do that you will be able to get over any trials :)

 

i lov eyou all so  stinking much!!!!

have a great week

hermana applegate

hey everybody. this is going to be short and sweet. because i dont have a whole lot of time. :)

 

But we had transfers today. and hermana terrera went home.  well... right now she is in the offices and tomorrow she will head home.  im gonna miss her a lot.

 

but my companion right now is hermana vargas!!!!! i dont know if i wrote about her but when i left the mtc, we met up with a group from the mtc in argentina and there was an hermana in the group and she is hermana vargas!!!!!! shes really great. and i was really nervous because i knew i was gonna have a lot more responsability this transfer. and i did a lot of praying for my new companion and that they would wnat to work hard and change things up. because i realized this week how we were working is not the most effective. we need to work through the members.  and more witht he local leaders.  and thats not easy. its easier to go and knock door... it involves less planning. but it doesnt work as well.....

 

anyways. she came and she is so ready to work and so the lord answered my prayers.  :)

 

he always does that. he always helps me out a lot. i know that god answers my prayers and i know he answers the prayers of everyone who prays with real intent. who really wnats to know and who is really willing to do whatever it takes to have success...

 

I love you all.... remember to pray everyday and read your scriptures.  someone said in stake conference this week that the people who fall away, who turn cold in the gospel are the people who neglect to do the little things every day.  and its not that they mean to do it. they just stop doing it.  because they were busy etc.  it was a really great weekend.  i got to go to the priesthood session for stake conference.  because they announced a new stake mission plan.  :)  it was so weird but so cool. i learned so much..

 

remember to take care of yourselves and to share the gospel.  it isnt just the responsablity of the missionaries its of everyone. and thats how the work really grows. when we all work together. 

 

lvoe you all

saludos a todos

hermana applegate