The Adventures of a Sister Missionary! Guatemala City Central Mission! Hermana Tarah Ray Sherrod: 2013

December 10, 2013

Miracles from on High!!!!!!

Okay, so how do I get into this! This is the MOST AMAZING STORY EVER! So, Domingo after church, we didn’t have a cita (appointment) but the night before I felt we should pass by one of our investigadores who hadn’t been home when we passed by earlier in the week. Hna. Morales and I both thought we should stop by. At the house of our investigador, there was another mujer (woman), and she was drinking. But she wasn’t too intoxicated. But, she came up to us at the door and at first I thought she was mad at us, because well, sometimes people just don’t like us, because we’re Missionaries, you know... Well, she asked in a sort of harsh voice, “Are we all children of God?” And I answered, “Yes, we are all children of God.” And she said, “Write down my name.” So I looked at Hna. Morales, because-well I was debating how drunk she was (the lady, not Hermana. Morales). Hna. Morales told me to write it down. So I did. She gave me her first and last name and address and told us to come at 7. And then she changed it to 6. So, we said in a few hours we would stop by. And she said in one hour, and we were like, but it’s 2 o’clock right now... And she said, “Now it’s 5, isn’t it?” And I said to myself, well its 5 o’clock somewhere... I thought it was quite funny, but of course no one speaks English, so it was only me that got the joke. But she asked the others there in the house what time it was and they answered that is was 2. So, at 6 we stopped by her house.

When we walked inside, she apologized for the mess of papers that was covering one of the love seats in her house and we told her it was all fine, no problem, and then I noticed the papers were mostly pages from the Liahona which had underlines, notes on the sides and circled phrases. She began handing us the pages and asking us to explain them to her. So long story shorter, we learned she just had someone pass away (I believe her best friend who was 32 if I understood correctly) 3 days before and she was very clearly suffering. So we began to teach the Plan of Salvation, we didn’t get too far because she had LOTS and LOTS of questions, which I LOVE as a Missionary! It shows the interest to learn and she is SO READY! She needs this! THE SPIRIT WAS THE STRONGEST I REMEMBER POSSIBLY EVER FEELING IN MY LIFE! And my LOVE for her is SO STRONG! I felt her friend that had passed away there with us and I could feel GENERATIONS! Literally GENERATIONS! Her parents or grandparents I’m not sure, but they were there and I knew in that moment, she is the reason I am in this area. She is a special Daughter of God, so special; I have never felt SO MUCH LOVE for someone I had just met! The room was bright with the Spirit and out of nowhere I had a feeling to tell about Essa and how I knew how she felt, losing her best friend. And, I felt Essa there. And we just connected! I told her I know Essa is my Angel and I know her friend is her angel and she said, YES! Yes, she is my Angel! And wow, I don’t have the words... But its moments like that that make the hard times of the Mision just worth it! We talked for a time with her, offering our testimonies scriptures of comfort and love for her! She wanted us to come by the next day, but she ended up not being able to visit with us yesterday, but we have a cita for today. So I am very excited!!!! SHE IS THE SWEETEST DAUGHTER OF GOD! I don’t know how to describe my LOVE for her!!!! But it’s TRUE!!! And it’s from God, because I TRULY know in that experience with her, He TRULY, PERFECTLY LOVES ALL OF HIS CHILDREN!!!!

I LOVE MY MISION HERE!!!!! I LOVE THE LORD and I LOVE HIS WORK, BECAUSE HE LOVES HIS CHILDREN!!!!

Zone Pic on Dec. 10, 2013

December 3, 2013

Thanks my Angels!!!!!

Okay, so I don´t even know where to begin!!!! Okay, so this transfer has definitely taught me humility as well as a good portion of patience!!!!

And it´s good to know that even if life isn´t perfect, even if you feel like you’re losing it and not doing all you can, because it´s not perfect, you really are!!!! SO JUST DON´T WORRY ABOUT IT!!!! But goodness knows I know that is easier said than done!!!!! But with The Lord all things are possible, so surely He can help us calm down and deal with life... He truly is our Father in Heaven, our Eternal Father, we´re going to have fits every now and then, we´re going to get frustrated and just want to yell and scream emotionally and well give up!!! But like a perfect parent, He will calm our fears, lift us up and help us to learn.... He understands EVERYTHING, PERFECTLY!!!!! So put ALL your Hope, Fe and LOVE in Him and you will get through!!!! Even if you get a few scratches, scraps, cuts, burns... He will heal you and you will learn and grow and become stronger with that knowledge of the past for the future!!!!

I LOVE THE LORD SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!! And I am SO THANKFUL for the opportunity to Serve Him and only Him, to put all of my focus of my life, all my Heart,

Might, Mind and Strength to Him for at least 18 months!!!!!

So Thanksgiving really was a day of Thanksgiving for me!!!!!! I had

Divisions with an AMAZING sister, Hna. Larson!!!! And her first area in the

Mission is the area I am in right now, El Bilbao, Santa Lucia. And she is

ABSOLUTELY PILAS!!!!! I was still doubting at that point what good I could do here, if I couldn´t speak Spanish and all that, I keep having moments where I see all the ¨can’ts¨ instead of ¨cans¨ about things!!! But she showed me I really could!!!! That Division really opened my eyes and she really helped me SO MUCH!!!!! She went through nearly the exact same thing I am right now and she was really able to help me!!!!!! I´ve been told by many of the Hermanas here The Lord wants me to be a leader, that I will Lead others in the Mission and I know I can do that because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE PEOPLE!!!! And I am SO THANKFUL to know in the future in one way or another, I will be helping a sweet, scared sister just like me. And I know I have grown SO MUCH from this experience that even though I hated walking through Hell, I´m glad I know the adversary and his hatred enough to know God and His PERFECT LOVE for me and everyone that much better!!!!!! I´m still climbing the hill, I´m still going to have rocks and I´ll slip and fall at times, but Heavenly Father will ALWAYS, ALWAYS lift me up and by His Spirit and His Angels I will get through this Mission and through this life!!!!! And I want ya´ll to realize, ya´ll are those Angels!!!!! I have those other Angels with me from the other side of course, but I have ya´ll too and you are my saving angels!!!!!! Thank you for ALL of your prayers and fasting and all of your TRUE LOVE for me that has passed the time and space in the miracles of God to help me on my Mission!!!! I don´t care about the technicalities of it all, you really all are right here with me!!!!

Even though I don´t see you, I feel your TRUE LOVE for me EVERYDAY!!!!

EVERY MINUTE!!!! And please know HOW SOOO GRATEFUL I AM!!!!! I am praying for you ALL ALWAYS!!!!! I am on this Mission because of you, for you and for all the people here and that is the only thing that keeps me going!!!!!

Bad days will pass... Bad days will happen, but I have ya´ll, I have the people I LOVE here, my companion, my Mission Pres. and his wife, the other

Missionaries, the members and of course our investigators!!!! And MOST

IMPORTANT I have Christ!!!! Who walked this path before, He cut the trail!!!! So I can climb it!!!! Following Him in every step and watching for those rocks and trials and facing every new challenge, steep step and switch back with His LOVE!!!!

Gotta go, but I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

Love,

Hna. Tarah Ray Sherrod

November 26, 2013

THANKSGIVING!!!! GRATITUDE!!!!!

So, I am first of all SO THANKFUL for my family!!!!! I LOOOOVVEEE THEM SO

MUCH!!!!!!!! I have my LOVE and support from home and I am SO THANKFUL!!!!! I am SO THANKFUL for the people here, the people of Guatemala are nothing but ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Inside and out!!!!! They TRULY are the children of Lehi, children of God and I can feel and truly know His LOVE for them!!!!!!

We have a wedding and baptism planned for the weekend of the 7th and 8thof December, for a couple who two of their sons are members, one is on his Mission right now in Nicaragua!!! And the other is preparing to leave when he turns 18!!! The second son´s name is Estuardo and he is what I would

call a Son of Helaman, the perfect image of one!!! He will baptize his parents and I just can´t believe how fortunate I am to witness such a BEAUTIFUL MIRACLE of the Lord!!!!!! The Lord TRULY LOVES ME I KNOW and I TRULY KNOW HE LOVES ALL OF US!!!!! Never doubt the LOVE of the Savior for you!!!!! Never doubt what you can do with His power and the miracles you are working EVERYDAY!!!!

More of my gratitude: I´m SO THANKFUL for our Stake President who said how good my Spanish was yesterday and how we are angels!!!! And all the cute kids that like to play with me!!!!

November 5, 2013

Subject: BUENAS YA'LL!!!!! How goes life!!!!!!!!!

So, I just want to testify that our Heavenly Father is aware of positively EVERYTHING in our lives!!!!!!!! And His Plan is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!!!!!!

So my new area is GREAT!!!!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT HERE!!!!!! I´m near the Coast in a city called Santa Lucia. And I feel like Ammon. My old comprenera said that there was like 3 worlds in Guatemala, the City, the Coast, and the Montanas (the Mountains). And boy was she right. Everyone here has such a different perspective of religion than they do in the City. In the City, people were more familiar with God and Jesus Christ and their roles in our lives. But here in the Coast for the most part, this idea of God and our Savior Jesus Christ, is like a fairytale they sort of heard about when they were little. So, I have A LOT of work to do!!!!! A LOT!!!!! And I am SO HAPPY!!!!!!! My only concern is that I´ll be able to teach the doctrine clearly. I really have to start from nothing, teaching what certain words mean and such. I asked one woman here what service meant for her in her life, and she didn´t even know what service meant. So we taught the importance of helping others and why this is good and like our Savior Jesus Christ and how his sacrifice for us was a service for us all and the importance of His Atonement for us. So please pray for me and my companion and the Missionaries and the people here!!!!!! We all need it!!!!! But on the other hand, the members here are REALLY STRONG!!!!!! And, it´s AMAZING!!!!! We just have a small branch, but our President is incredible and the other members too!!!!! And I know God is working with people, even though a lot of people reject our message, a lot are really receptive too!!!!! We have lots of lessons every day and lots of contacts, so I am REALLY GRATEFUL!!!!!!!! And yes, I really do feel a bit like Ammon!!!!! Haha!!!!! If I´m even worthy to say that!!!!!

I LOVE reading the Book of Mormon here!!!!! It´s AMAZING!!!!! Because I walk outside and EVERYTHING!!!!!! ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!!!!!!! Testifies of its truth!!!!!!! I know these people are the children of Lehi!!!!! And I am so honored and THANKFUL to be a part of the wonderful promise God made with Lehi that they would be brought back out of darkness and to the Light and Knowledge of their Savior Jesus Christ, I keep that promise in my Heart as I go about the work of the Lord and realize everyday with a Heart FULL of GRATITUDE that I am doing that work!!!!! Bringing that Light!!!!!! That The Lord has me as an instrument in His hands to fulfill that promise!!!!!!

So, a cool story about how God is in ABSOLUTELY EVERY PART OF THIS WORK and this is His design and PERFECTO PLAN for His children!!!! I just read chapter 3 in 2 Nefi when we had a lesson with a convert who is 14 and he hadn’t been studying the Book of Mormon, so we asked where he was in the Libro de Mormon so we could read with him and he said 2 Nefi chapter 3!!!!! So I was able to understand what we were reading and explain it to him and the importance of the words written there!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOOOOOVVVVEEEEEE THE LORD!!!!!!!

LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!! Gotta go do the work of the LORD!!!!!