August 26, 2014
August 26, 2014
Changes are fantastic!!!!!
Well, let’s see - where shall I begin!!! This week has been AMAZING!!!! I have learned ALOT!!! I love my new area. I feel I am learning it well!!! I still have a couple colonias to get to know, but that should be happening this week!!! I am not far from my old area!!! You can actually see it from here and that made me really happy since I miss my little paradise and all my amazing friends and loved ones there!!! But yeah, this area is GREAT!!!! This area is nicely sized; big with LOTS of people to contact!!! And buses!!! I missed riding the buses and contacting them while I was in my previous area!! Getting to use the bus every day is a nice change and I am enjoying talking with more people!!! I put a meta (goal) to always testify as a representative of Christ, that God lives and LOVES us and that He restored His Church through His Profeta verdadero Jose Smith (true prophet Joseph Smith)!!! I have definitely felt a difference and my view of my purpose here has changed since I have done so!!!
The people are GREAT here!!! We have good investigadores!!! This one sweetheart, “A”, is 15 and I have never seen such enthusiamo por el Evangelio!!! We were teaching her the Palabra de Sabiduria and we were explaining how our bodies are like temples so we need to treat them as such. We were explaining a little bit about what a temple is and when we mentioned a temple is clean and a place that the Spirit dwells she was looking at the little picture we have of the Temple here in the Capitol and she just got SO EXCITED!!! She bounced up and down a little and exclaimed, “¨Yo quiero bautizarme!!! Yo quiero bautizarme!!!” She is SO SWEET!!!! That just filled my heart and I felt, yup, I need to be here in this area now!!!
I know God always sends us to where we are suppose to be, to who we need to help and who we need to learn from!!! I LOVE how God has given us all individual talents and that he puts us with people who have the same and different talents so that we can be refined and polished to shine the best we can!!!!
I am learning a WHOLE TON from Hermana Graham!!! She is PILAS!!! And she is willing to help me with my Spanish, which is a GREAT blessing to me!!! The more I can do to mejorar esta talento que Dios mellamo para dearrollar, voy a hacerlo!!!! We have a few different views, but we are communicating well and working out those differences to make a unified view of what we would like to do here together and how we can help one another be better to learn what we are suppose to learn from each other!!!
La Hermana Graham was very excited to be working a little more intensely than she had been before and for that I am really thankful!!! It is such a Blessing when your companion wants to work!! And work for the same goals!! She said that she was tired at the end of the day, but that is the price she would have to pay to be more diligent and have more fun!!! I am glad she feels that she is having more fun now!! And I am also grateful she recognized that those good feelings come from working hard, being diligent and urgent in the work!! I am SO GRATEFUL Heavenly Father has given me the chance to Serve Him, by serving His beautiful daughter Hermana Graham. I am SO GRATEFUL I have the opportunity to help her to learn how we can work harder and have more fun in the Mission, like so many of the GREAT sisters of this Mission did for me when I had depression!!!! It really is such a Blessing for me to have the opportunity to use the talents I have been striving to develop to serve others!!! And I Hope to keep fortifying those talents so that I will continue to be able to help more of His children!!!
I am VERY GRATEFUL for ALL of the LOVE y’all show for me and my companions!!! By all your prayers, letter and packages!!!
So all is well here!!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Guatemala and I am learning SO MUCH about the LOVE the Lord has for us!!!! Oh and I LOVE our Mission President too!!! He is very big on telling us he Loves us!!!! And to be sure we are teaching with love and charity!!!!! I am SO GRATEFUL to know that Presidente and Hermana Markham are Called of God to receive the inspiration we need here in the Mission, here in the Beautiful land of Guatemala at this time!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for Serving the Lord by serving me SO DILIGENTLY with SO MUCH CHARITY and PATIENCE!!!! THANK YOU!!!! I LOVE Y’ALL!!!! As a representative of Christ, I know that Christ lives and I know that this is His true church!!!!!
Love,
Hermana Sherrod
August 19, 2014
August 19, 2014
Hey!!!! So I have some exciting news and some sad news....
So I have I HAVE
CHANGES!!!!!!!!!!!! Yup!!!!! The happy news is that I will
meet new friends and have the opportunity to meet new people!!!! Sad, because
I LOVE MY AREA SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I seriously feel like it is my area!!!!
But I know I have done what The Lord wanted me to do here and I am SO HAPPY
and EXCITED to go and do what the Lord would have me do in my next area!!!!! And
take all I have learned with me!!!!! I am a little sad because I wanted to
teach Vladimir and his family, but yeah, we never found them again really. They
always said he was working and the parents and others didn’t have a interest
to listen right now. I feel like at least I was meant to plant a seed with
them. At least they will always remember the love we showed to them. If
nothing else, at some point in the future I know they will be ready to move
forward!!! I know from that experience with them that The Lord truly LOVES US
and KNOWS US!!!! I testify to that!!!! I got to use at least a little sign
language in this area and I am so thankful and happy for that!!! I wish they
could have been baptized while I was here, but I know that it is not important
if I am here when they are baptized, just that at some point in the future
they are!!!!!
I have learned that a lot here on the Mission!!!! We can
stand goodbyes in life, and we can stand time apart and missing special
events, because this life is not all!!!!
I know with all my heart that there is the Celestial Kingdom and that if
we make and keep sacred covenants with the Lord we will live there ALL
together for Eternity!!! I know the Lord keeps ALL of His promises!!!!!!! We
are making friendships here that weave into the Eternities!!!!! As Pres. Uchtdorf
said in General Conference, we are not made up of beginnings and endings, but
Eternal beginnings, because we are meant to be Eternal!!!!!! Keep it up working
hard and living the Gospel with all your heart, because it is the ONLY thing
that brings happiness in this life and the eternities, because it is designed
to give us happiness unending!!!!!! Trust in your covenants with the Lord,
Serve Him with all your heart, might, mind and strength with all you
have!!!!!!!! I promise the promised blessings will come!!!! If not now, then
later and they are worth waiting for, I testify they are worth fighting
for!!!!!!!
We got to teach Dalila last night and it was the first
time we have found her in several weeks. It was a really cool lesson. she
will be baptized sometime here soon!!! Keep praying!!! Keep Hoping!!!! Josue
wanted me to promise that I would come back in 2016 when he is old enough to
go through the temple!!!!! SO CUTE!!!!!!
Well I will be sure to let you know next week where I am
and who I am with!!! I feel good about changes, but please still pray I will
adjust well. I haven’t had a whole ton of anxiety at all, not anything
compared to the beginning of my mission, but you know how it likes to just
creep up sometimes... I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK
YOU
FOR ALL OF THE PRAYERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I
LOVE YOU ALL. I know I am here for y’all!!!! You are my eternal family and
friends!!!!!! I want a life forever with each one of you!!!!!!!! Work hard,
fight hard, live strong to the Gospel and I know the Lord will keep His promises!!!!!!!!!
We just have to do our part, which really is SO little!!!!!!!!!!! Trust in
the Lord!!!!!!!!! I am so thankful for all of the PILAS examples I have from
ALL OF Y’ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know how to live the Gospel, because y’all taught
me and you are still teaching me!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO THANKFUL for the Spirit
to guide us each day!!!!!!!! Listen to the Spirit!!!!!!!!! Get rid of
anything in your life that would hinder the whisperings of the Spirit of the
Lord to tell you He loves you and all of us each day!!!!!!!!! I LOVE
Y'ALL!!!!!!!!! THANKS FOR ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Hermana Tarah Ray Sherrod
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August 12, 2014
August 12, 2014
So S. WAS BAUPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am really liking that these sweet little boys are getting baptized!!!!!! I am going to have ALOT of little missionaries to write in the future!!!!!!!! His Baptism was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was at night and friends and family came who are both members and nonmembers!!!!! It was a really good experience!!!!!!!!!! The Spirit was really STRONG!!!!!!!!!!!! And I just found myself at awe again that I am here in Guatemala and I feel at home, and by the great gift of tongues the Lord has been so merciful to Bless me with, I can understand the sweet testimonies and talks being given so that I can feel stronger the Love of the people for our Savior Jesus Christ!!!! It is still SO AMAZING to me how the Gospel of Jesus Christ transcends ALL languages, cultures, countries and people!!!!!!! It is what keeps us united as families. It is what brings us happiness, nothing else does, nothing!!!!! To that I testify!!!!
Only through Christ can we return to our Father in Heaven!!! We can’t just complete half of the commandments and hope that we can enter into the Kingdom of God. We have to live them all to the VERY BEST we can!!!!
We need to improve each day!!! And we can!!!! That Lord does not require a lot from us - He requires ALL!!!! Because He knows that only if we give our all will we be able to receive ALL from Him!!! He gave us all so that we could give our all and He would pay the rest. He did not give us His all so that we wouldn’t have to work to progress, He gave us ALL so that we could work to progress!!!!!! That is the power of the Atonement - we can overcome EVERY TRIAL!!!!!! EVERY TRIAL!!!!! As long as we are grateful for the experiences those trials give us and the opportunities they bless us with to grow!!!!!!! When we are Grateful we become more Christ like, because our Fe grows in Him and we can see more things as He does!!!!!!
I have been thinking A LOT about gratitude as of late and just so happens that that ended up being our theme today in our district meeting!!!! It was REALLY COOL!!!!! I read in one of the talks from the Priesthood session from April that in our prayers we need to be more specifically grateful for all the little things the Lord gives us. When we do, we will feel more His Love and open up the windows of Heaven to see miracles from Him, because we will know and feel more that we are truly sons and daughters of God, our Loving
Father in Heaven!!!!! Read Alma 37:37 I LOVE it!!!!! And then, I was reading today in Jesus the Christ. I just started it so I was reading in chapter 2 that talks about the pre-mortal life. I read what it quotes from Moses about how Satan was trying to convince God to send Him and then the simple statement of Christ, “Send me and the Glory be Thine.” That to me is so perfect. Who wouldn’t want to follow someone who leads in that way. Only
Christ could have been chosen to come here and die for us!!! He didn’t want any of the Glory; He just wanted to serve our Father in Heaven!!!! And that is why we should ALL follow Him!!!! I testify that He is the Only Way to get back to our Father in Heaven!!!!!
So, A. came to the baptism!!!! He really liked it and went home saying he wants to be baptized this Sunday!!! And participated singing with the primary kids in a special musical number!! We are trying to get a set date with his parents for this Sunday. They want him to be baptized, but they just want to be sure he is ready and knows what he needs to before! They are really good parents!!! Just please pray your guts out for this miracle!!!! That they will feel that this is right and he is ready!! It was so sweet and awesome yesterday when Alan stated plainly when we challenged his dad, M., to pray specifically to know if Joseph Smith was a Prophet, that he was a prophet. Straight out. He feels a testimony that he was a prophet!!! And then he started asking, please! Please! Can I be baptized?!!! He is SO AWESOME!!!! Those kids are such examples to me!!! I LOVE them!!!! Well, Hermana Blackmer and I are still doing great!!! All is well here in our AMAZING area!!!!!
LOVE YALL SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANKS FOR
EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Hermana Tarah Ray Sherrod!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 5, 2014
August 5, 2014
So
today I would like to tell you that we are still working hard here in the BEST
area EVER!!! Ever since Pres. Brough told me he knew that I couldn’t go home
early because one day I was meant to come to this area and I had to fight my
guts out to get here. I am SO THANKFUL that I didn’t go home!!! And what do you
know, today I have been in the Mission ONE YEAR!!!!
It
goes by way too fast!!!!! But yeah, I am SO THANKFUL for ALL the experiences I
have had here. My life and my eternity will NEVER be the same!!!! I am SO
GRATEFUL that y’all were willing to suffer with me to get me this far!!!!! But
I am SO THANKFUL and proud of this area, how much work and change Hna Blackmer
and I have seen!!!!!! It is a miracle!!!! This is my area; it has carved such a
delicate place in my heart. I am SO THANKFUL.
I
feel like I am making a difference here, or actually that The Lord is making a
difference through me here as His Servant!!! I would be good to live here
forever if I had to!!! But we will see where the Lord wants me to be and what
He wants me to experience still!!!!
So
the family C.M., S. and O. are having a bit of trouble.... I really should not
say I know things are going to happen until I actually KNOW, but still it’s
good to be excited about the work!!! I was listening to the talk by Elder
Ballard from last October that says that it is more important that you open
your mouth. If it is still not their time as of yet, they will at least ALWAYS
remember the LOVE you gave them, and I have Fe that the LOVE Hna S. and her
kids felt in the church will one day, whether it is sooner or later, bring her to the True Church of Christ!!!! So keep
praying. We will see. Only Heavenly Father knows when!!!
We
also found another SO PREPARED family this week that is actually friends of the
familia D. that ALWAYS helps us with EVERYTHING!!!! They are the family
Missionary power force of the ward!!!! But the parents aren’t married yet and
the husband is married and not divorced yet from his first wife. A lot of
people do that here, because the legal stuff is nuts. Although it will take
forever with all the legal stuff and they need to stop working Sundays, one day
in the future they will be baptized. Right now, we are focusing on the son who
is 9 who can be baptized the 17th!!!!
Please
pray your guts out for him!!!! He chose to read the whole pamphlet without any encouragement
from his Mom and he really liked church on Sunday so did Jennifer, but the Dad
still hasn’t attended because he was working, but I know he will LOVE it
too!!!!!!
So,
we went out with our friend J.C. who just got back from his mission in Columbia
and Paola (of course) and an inactive friend of J.C. who is coming back to the
church named L.!!! It was AWESOME!!!!
L.
totally got into it!!! He was introducing us to all of his old neighbors and he
was like, dude! I am coming with y’all every Sunday!!! This is great!!!! Four
people received us that he introduced us too and they all committed to read the
pamphlet and pray!!!!! That is the power of missionary work!!!! I know we can
ALL do that with our friends and familias!!!! There is NO better way to
strengthen your testimony than to share it!!!! Just be humble, pray for missionary
experiences every day and then LOOK for them.
SEARCH
for them!!!! And I promise as the Lord teaches, you WILL FIND THOSE who are
ready!!!!!!
So
Elder Ballard said in his last talk that all should read in Preach My
Gospel
and then send the Missionaries what you are learning!!!! I think you should all
start doing that and send me something about what y’all are learning!!!! It
would be so cool to get that from y’all!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Have
a FANTASTIC week!!!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE
YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANKS FOR ALL OF THE PRAYERS
ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I
know that God lives, I know that Jesucristo is our Savior and Redeemer and
through, ONLY through Him can we return to live with our Father in Heaven. It
is possible if we exercise ALL Fe in Him at all times, in All things and ALL
places!!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!
Love,
Hermana
Tarah Ray Sherrod
El Frutal Pictures August 5, 2014
This is today!!! With my AWESOME Zone!!!!! El Frutal!!! They always buy us
stuff that has El Frutal on it to have in the picture, its pretty great!!!
haha!!!!!!
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