Week 21: A Friendly Reminder, Better Off Dead, Another Baptism

Que vuela el tiempo

Buenas tardes mis queridos hermanos y hermanas!

 

I hope everything is well in Los estados unidos. I hope you all are keeping up on your scripture study and prayers as well as attending church. These things really REALLY help in everyday happenings. They may sound like the "primary answeres" but they are trully the foundation for our testimony and we can recieve strength in everything that we do with these little things.Your Father in Heaven loves you and wants to bless you, and we recive blessing when we are obedient. Entonces,will you continue doing those things in order to recieve this strength? Reading the scriptures? Praying? Attending church? I can promise you that there is power in the scriptures and that as you continue praying your eyes will be opened to the blessing the Lord has blessed you with and that He will continue to bless you with. And that as you continue going to church you will be able to be more receptive to the promptings of the spirit in your life. I know this is true not just because I have been taught this but because I have experienced this. God is my loving Heavenly Father and He knows what I need and what others need as we continue being obedient he can bless you and you will feel His love more.

Something funny that happened this week.

As we were getting off the bus there was this small child on a bike and as we passed him all he said was "two dollars" in english as well. It made me think of Better off Dead and the paper boy. But it was also soo random that i couldn´t help but laugh anyway. But it made me think of you Daddy and this movie. it was a good laugh. Another movie connection in real life. We have this one investigator who is really attatched to his bible, I think he has like 20 or something but we were in one lección and he turns to me and asks if he can see my bible, sure why not. He looks it over front and back looks at me and says this is a good bible. It reminded me so much of Nicholas Nickleby (if you don´t know it, look it up, it´s a good ´un) with the door. It took everything in my not to laugh.

This is a fruit here that is really wierd

 but strangly enough I like it

(A type of Passion fruit)

This past wednesday we had a baptism. For Nancy. She is seriously fantastic, she is so intune to the Spirit. She is a sure sign that the Lord is preparing people for us to find. I don´t know who learned more, her or me. She is such an example of the believers. It is such a humbling experience to be able to work with her and teach her. I have learned soo much from her and I know that she will do great things in the gospel.

Quiero que ustedes sepan que su Padre Celestial les ama y que todas las cosas que Él les ha dado, cada dificultad, cada día feliz, es para su beneficio. Y es por obediencia a las leyes de Dios que podamos recibir bendiciones, y últimamente ser felices. DyC 93:28. 

He that keepeth his commandments receiveth  truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things. D&C 93:28

Cuídense mucho!

Tengan una bonita semana!

Hermana Milligan

Week 20: An Early Day Of Thanksgiving, What Not To Say, And The Process of Learning Patience

HOLA Familia mía,

Okay I really don´t know how to write in spanish but somehow I can speak it. It really is a great blessing to have the Spirit guide me in what to say, most of the time I just open my mouth and words come out. I am so grateful for all of your prayers for me and I hope you all know that I am praying for you too!

Today we had Thanksgiving zona oriente (that´s my zone just so ya know) style. We had a great turkey bowl of ultimate frizbee ( I almost took out our zone leader going for the frizbee....yeah just know that it was not on purpose) Then we ate mashed potatoes and chicken with deviled eggs (I am losing the ability to spell) and a lot of deserts. It was great! So much fun! I know it is a bit early but it was so much fun anyway. 

This week we have another baptism! Her name is Nancy and she is so awesome! She has been such a great light for us and she understands soo much, it is obvious that she has been prepared for this gospel. She has a little girl and she is soo funny, a handful but so funny, she kinda reminds me of Natalie. Hna. Negro is great, she is starting to get used to Ecuador, and her accent is starting to stick to me. I don´t really know how to describe the Argentiean accent (ask aunt Jodi) but it is different. We have had some fun with the change of words here. Words that are bad in Argentina are used regularly here and words that are normal in Argentina are bad here and it makes me laugh. I probably shouldn´t laugh but I do. Jaja. 

Spiritual thought for the week: Patience.

Matt has been asking for a picture of a frog.
Unfortunately the first frog
spotted was a dead frog.

So, I was going through some hard times last week. And I decided to take the little attributes of Christ test in Preach my Gospel. And I found out that I was lacking in Patience. So I went to work, studying and pryaing for patience. What I found: Patience means the ability to face adversity calmly and hopefully, trusting in the Lord and HIS timing, knowing that everything will be okay. Then I went to work. What did I need to change to have more patience. First my heart. Replacing my negative feelings with singing a hymn or contacting\talking with others. Next my mind, I had to change my thoughts and to do that I decided to count my blessings everytime a negative thought decided to try and find room in my mind. This lead to my actions, instead of a look of concern or worry I decided to smile and do something more than just think. I found that this really helped me to change my attitude to one of gratitude and thus one of more patience. As I replace things that were making it hard to be patient with more positive uplifting things I feel better. I would like to challenge you all to take this into practice, don´t just say you are going to change something but actually do it, by replacing those things that are holding you back in your heart, mind, and actions. Repentance is real, The Savior is real. You don´t have to have a big sin in order to feel the healing power of the Atonement you just need to accept what has already been given to you and you can do that by repenting, or in other words changing, changing those things that are not in harmony with the teachings of Christ. Negative self thoughts, anger, frustration with yourself, yep those are contrary to what Christ thaught. The amazing thing is that these things that feel like they are only part of you or your flaws. well let me tell ya, they don´t have to be "your flaws" they can become your strengths. Your Father in Heaven Loves YOU. I love you and hope that you all have a great week filled with spiritual experiences.

Les amo!

Hermana Milligan

Week 19: No More Newby, Lost And Found, A Personal Note To Daddy :)

Hola mis quierdas hermanos y hermanas!

This is my weekly report on the goings here in Baños. This is my 3rd transfer! Woohoo! I made it though 12 semanas y now I am out of the ranks of newb. But in all honesty I think I have learned more this past week than I did in the past 12 weeks. My new compañera se llama Hna Negro ella es de Argentina y tiene 23 años. She is great! I think of her as my 23 year old Argentinean twin, except we look nothing alike and she is, you know from Argentina. But in all honesty we are really similar, which sometimes makes things hard because we have similar debilidades but with this I have already learned sooooooo much. Hna Aldás really was like my mom (in the mission she is my momi) and I was like a child. I am still like a child but now it is more like we are both in this growing and learning field together. And we are both learning and growing BASTANTE.

One spiritual experience for the week.

We had received a reference a couple weeks back and hadn´t been able to contact her for some time and I had asked for the directions from various different people and they all said something different (here there aren´t really any addresses) and I still don´t really understand directions very well but we decided to head out and look for this person. And we went to the first house that fit the description that I was told and. No one. I was feeling a bit down that day, but this image of this one house that we had passed before came to my mind and it fit the description of this persons house. And on a whim (I still am not very good with directions) we found this house and it was the correct house! And it just so happens that the daughter of this woman, the member who gave me the reference, just so happened to be

there at that time. She let us in and we were able to teach her with her daughter it was a really neat experience. 

Scripture for the week. 3 Nefi 22:10-11

The Lord´s love is always there for us even when we feel as if we are alone and with out comfort. Our loving Father in Heaven is preparing our path with precious stones.

Much love a todos,

RECUERDEN QUIEN SON!!

Hhn Milligan

This was an excerpt from my personal letter from Lauree this week.


 Daddy, even though we so far apart you some how know just what to say in your status updates that just help me in just the right way. Inspiration. :) Daddy I love you soo much...
  ...Oh this is a bit random but on the way to one of our sectors we pass by 5 big waterfalls and that isn´t counting the little ones on the side of the road. Just to make your photographer mouth water :P This place is soo pretty but it isn´t very friendly to those nice big fancy, expensive cameras. Jaja. Daddy I love you soo much. I think I shared this scripture last week but I would like to share it with you with a bit more detail. Romans 8:16-17 it says that the Spirit testifies that we are Children of God and that we are joint heirs to the Kingdom with Christ. I just want to say that everytime you remind Spencer and Matt and for everytime you reminded me to "Remember who you are" you in all honesty were speaking the truth and as such the Spirit can then testify through you. I don´t really know how to explain myself any better but I just want you to know that I am grateful that you would say that to me all the time and that you live worthy to hold the priesthood to bless your family. Daddy, REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!

Tu hija,

Lauree

Week 18: Cambios!!! Sis Aldas Got Her Visa...

Okay voy a escribir más later don´t worry. But today is cambios and Hermana Aldás has her visa and is leaving today and I am going to cry. I´m going to stay here and it is going to be an adventrue... I love you soooooo much and am grateful for all you do for me for your support and todo! Les amo.

Hermana Milligan

Well I don´t have time like I thought I would. But I just want to let everyone know that all is well. And I will be getting a new compañera and we will be in Baños still. Gracias por su apoyo. Y por favor sepan que les amo mucho! Escritura Romans 8:16 I think that this is the escritura it is about how we are children of God. Remember this. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE.

Les amo,

Hermana Milligan