October 28,2014

October 28, 2014

Well, this week... PILAS Francisco came to church again on time and on his own!!!!!!!!!! He is PILAS!!!!!!!!! He smokes, so we are going to be working on that with him so he can be baptized this month, in the next 2 weeks we hope!!!!! It is a bit hard for him to concentrate in the lessons a bit. He has a very active mind, but that's okay. Its fun when we get to change the way we teach to meet the needs of the individual!!! Blanca came to church all on her own this week!!!! We didn't even get to call her in the morning to remind her, because her phone is broken, but she came all the same!!!!!!! At the Distribution Center we bought her an English Triple and she LOVES it!!!! We had been teaching her the Plan of Salvation over several visits so we had finished teaching her about the Spirit World and we left her with Alma 40 to read and when we came again she had read it ALL and had GREAT questions about the judgement and resurrection!!! And when we finished explaining about the 3 Kingdoms of Glory, she asked the BEST question, seriously I am trying to remember if I have heard a better question during my time as a Missionary. She asked, What do I need to do so that Daniella y Sofia (her two daughters) get to the Celestial Kingdom? That is what I want for them. Our answer of course, BAPTISM BY SOMEONE WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY OF GOD!!! Yes, we will be teaching the Gospel of Christ to her today, just pray that we will find her. Its been a little tricky these last 2 weeks! Please pray for Natali!!! We are trying to get her baptized this weekend, but we weren't able to find her ALL last week!!! I feel bad about that!! We need to teach her to prepare her or Satan is going to swoop in! I LOVED the trip to the Temple!!! The new video is AMAZING!!!!!! Hna Graham and I also discovered we are related!!! Turns out she has John William Dutson, 6 genereations back in her family tree too!!!!! AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We aren't just Serving our Missions in Guatemala together, but we will be part of the same eternal family!!!! COOL RIGHT?!!!!!!! Well, I am sorry this is SO short, I was trying to write you all individually, so yeah.... But I LOVE YALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR ALL THE PRAYERS AND ALL LA FE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE YOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!!!!!!!! LE AMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love, Hna Tarah Ray Sherrod

October 28, 2014

October 28, 2014

Yeah, dont even worry, I wasnt sick at all after I threw up, I just had food poisoning, my body got it out and it passed!!!!!! My body has never been healthier I dont think than on my Mission, the fact that my body just got it all out real fast just shows how well it is working!!!!! So yeah, it was worth it throwing up to find Brenda and Miguel!!!!!

October 20, 2014

October 20, 2014

Do you believe in Miracles?!!! I SURE DO!!!!

So, lets start with Wednesday, Wednesday was GREAT!!!! It started out normal. We went to work, we had lunch and then out of no where I need to go to the bathroom, BAD!!! Like BAD!!!! We urgently walked to a members house. Of course we are always walking urgently, because there is urgency in the work you know, so we walked MORE urgently to a members house. And of course, I had diarrhea.

Well, then we had the MOST AMAZING lesson with Natali. She once again accepted her bauptismal date, but it won't be until the 2 of November, because her family is leaving out of town the next two weekends... But yeah, it was in the house of a member and we watched the first part of the movie of Joseph Smith, because she had gotten scared and had not wanted to be bauptized last Sunday. It was SO GOOD. She understood how Satan attacks us and that fear is the opposite of Fe and she readily accepted her bauptismal date!!! WHOOHOO!!!

Well then our next PILAS appointment fell through, but that turned out to be a Blessing, because out of no where I needed to go the bathroom, then and there. We were teaching a lesson in the street at this point. We ended quickly and briskly walked to our house, because our next appointment was with Francisco the 12 year old who was a reference from the family that lives below us. We couldn't use the members bathroom, because they were painting it so we ran upstairs to our bathroom and, sorry if this is gross, as I am going the bathroom out of no where hits this HORRIBLE, but seriously HORRIBLE pain!!!!!!!! Like I don't remember ever feeling that kind of pain before... So its not going away and I decide to call the nurse, but my backpack is down stairs in the members house. So we say a prayer really quickly and leave to go get the phone. Well, I am talking on the phone explaining what is going on and how I am feeling to the nurse. She asks if I feel nauseous. I say YES! And then puke while I am still holding the phone in my hand.... Yeah... Fun stuff... Well, she says to put something hot on my stomach to take the pain away, but well I wanted to make sure we were still working. So, we decided to do divisions. Hna Graham would go with another one of the members and I would stay in the members house for the last hour and half until 9. 

Well, turns out that none of the members that live close were home, so after I threw up, I started to feel a little better. We bought a 7 up from a tienda (a little store) and we went out to work, because we still didn't have our 10 families we needed to contact everyday. (Everyday we need to talk to at least 35 people and 10 of those need to be families, a husband and wife together). Well, we went out and right there a block away from where we live we contacted a family. Well Hna Graham contacted them, I just tried to look normal as I sipped my 7 up. Then we were Blessed with another family passing by. I was looking at my planner trying to figure where we were heading because our plans had fallen through when out of no where Hna Graham is grabbing my planner and 7 up!! I was like, what the?!! And she excitedly told me, They're Deaf!!!!!! OH YEAH!!!! So this family lives here really close to us, they are deaf and have more deaf friends they want to introduce us to!!!! Something AMAZING happens ALWAYS, ALWAYS follows the crap. ALWAYS!!!! God gives us Miracles!!!!! This time, the family actually likes us and doesn't mind us teaching them!!!!! WHOOHOO!!!!!!! So their names are Brenda and Miguel and their 4 year old daughter, Natali, who isn't deaf, but of course signs too!!!

I have been waiting for my deaf family my whole Mission!!!! Please pray hard!!! Brenda wanted to come to church yesterday, but they were leaving out of town, so they are coming to church next week!!!! We have another appointment with her today at 4!!! I am SO THANKFUL to the Lord for this Miracle!!!! SO, SO THANKFUL!!!! I am like afraid I will wake up and it wont be true!! hahaha!!!!

And then another Blessing, another different Francisco came to church on his own!!!! It was his first Sunday and he LOVED it!!!!!! We had 5 investigadores in church yesterday and we didn't bring a single one of them!!! Francisco came on his own and the other 4 were brought by members!!!! PILAS esta barrio!!!! And then wait for it, one of those investigadores was a new girl, a friend of the most PILAS family in the ward, who has already attended church 3 times, went to General Conference, has a Book of Mormon and knows its true, has already prayed about Jospeh Smith and knows he was a Prophet!!!! She is 19 and her name is Estfani, please pray for her!!!!! God Blesses us!!!!! Gotta go!!!!!!

Oh and don't worry, I am finishing STRONG!!!! Because I won't EVER be finishing my Mission. I am just going to keep on going on, just as if I have transferred to a new area!!!! My plaque will forever be etched into my heart!!!!








 

October 14, 2014

October 14, 2014

So this week!!!!

So this week I have been learning A LOT about how Spiritual protection IS REAL!!!!! How we literally put on our amour each day we read, ponder and pray and attend church EVERY week!!!!!! Satan attacks. He is our enemy and we need to prepare to defend against him, fight against him and over come his temptations whatever they may be: fear, negative thoughts, breaking commandments. And I know we can!!!! As Missionaries (and as people), there are so many ways that Satan tries to distract us from doing the Lords work the BEST we can and he plays to our personal weaknesses specifically. But I know with Fe we can overcome him!!!

Hna Graham has been a GREAT example to me of that this week!!! She had been having a REALLY hard time focusing, thinking of people at home a lot. And I was wondering what I could do to help her feel better and out of no where, or better to say out of Gods perfect plan and revelation, the Training Sisters called us to do divisiones with them. I stayed here in our area and Hna Graham went to the area of the trainer sisters to work for a day!!! She came back determined to be more focused!!! It was such a Blessing!! She had a picture of her boyfriend up and not only did she take it down, but she threw it away. She said that she would like to marry him one day, but that that day wasn't yet and the Lord needed her here focused on other people right now. That too me was a great show of Fe. Because had it been me, I would of probably taken the picture down, but I don't think I would of thrown it away!!!!

The training sisters said that they chose us to do divisiones because they had just had changes and they knew that we didn't have any problems so it would be good to start with us this change. That might of been there reasoning for it, but it wasn't the Lords reasoning for it!!! I know that EVERYONE, EVERY member of this church is entitled to personal revelation, and to receive revelation for those you have been Called by Him to lead, guide and Serve!!!!! The training sisters have NO idea how much they Blessed our companionship and strengthened us in doing better the work of the Lord this change!!!!!

 Hna Graham and I discussed how the Lord always prepares us to learn too!!! Every time she has had a bad day, the answer to how to make it better came in our district meeting or zone conference the following days. And her EXACT doubt has ALWAYS been answered!!!!! The Lord is aware of each and EVERY ONE of us and our specific needs and He uses us, to Serve and help build one another according to our specific talents and needs!!!!!!!!!!!! I testify to that as a Representative of Jesus Christ!!!

And just to prove a little more about how God LOVES US, He seriously sends us loves notes, little things that happen each day just for the purpose of telling us He loves us!!!! On Friday, I had been having a REALLY stressful day, trying to meet the goals we had felt we could complete this week and I was just praying in my head, what am I doing wrong? How can I do better? What is it you want us to do, because this isn't working this week?! So we had missed the bus we normally take and we get on this other bus, and there are three deaf people signing!!! I got to talk to them for only literally a minute. Two of them don't live in our area, but oh man, it made my whole day!!!!!! I don't know why Heavenly Father has engraved in me such a LOVE for deaf people, but it was literally a love note,of yes, Tarah Ray, I am listening!!! One of them possibly might live in our area. I am praying we will find her again if she does!!!!!

Well I know the Lord strengthens us!!! As we read the scriptures, pray morning and night, attend church and partake of the sacrament, WE WILL BE BLESSED to overcome ALL things by Him!!! Believe in that!!!! Believe in personal revelation!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!! THANKS FOR ALL THE PRAYERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love, Tarah Ray Sherrod

October 7, 2014

October 7, 2014

Hey yall!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So... Let's see...

JAVIER WAS BAUPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He and his wife Brenda were married in the church. Just a small little thing with a member that is a lawyer. Then we had the bauptism and confirmation!!!! SO MANY of the members from the ward came!!! It was something so small and so simple, but SO SPECIAL and extraordinary!!!! I know that the Heavens were rejoicing!!!!! And Hna. Graham and I are SO THANKFUL to finally have a bauptism together after ALOT of fun weeks of

work!!! The Lord really does Bless us for our labors!!! First He gives us the strength to do the labors and then He Blesses us for the efforts we give in using that strength!!!! I know that this is His work, after every bauptism I really feel like I did nothing, that it was all just the Strength of the Lord and I know that that is true. Compared to the Strength of the Lord we are nothing, but to the Lord we are EVERYTHING!!!!

I am just SO THANKFUL for all the miracles I get to see each day being out

here on the front lines of the battles of Salvation!!!! I know the Lord

LOVES and protects EACH and EVERY ONE of His Missionaries, especially those

Missionaries who don't have just a plaque on the outside, but one that is

written on the Heart by the Spirit and that I know can be each and every

one of us, full time Missionary or not!!!

So Blanca is doing well!!!! She came to the wedding, bauptism and

confirmation of Javier!!! Brenda invited her!!! We hadn't even called her

yet, being so busy as always. And when we called to see if she could come

she said, "Yes! I really want to go! Because Brenda invited me when I saw

her at the kid's school today!" It was AWESOME!!!! It is SO MUCH better

when the invitation comes from a member, a friend and not just the

Missionaries alone!!! She came and it was WONDERFUL!!!!! Because she is

having a hard time recognizing her answer from the Spirit that this is the

true church. She grew up with parents who are pastors of a Evangelical church.

She is used to singing, clapping standing up and shouting at church and she

had the question of why church is quiet and as she put it, boring? Well,

this activity was the perfect thing to show her that we do have fun!!!!

There was dancing and everything afterward!! We didn't stay for that part,

but she told us later on the phone that her girls had been dancing and they

LOVED it!!!!! Then MIRACLE!!!! She couldn't come to either of the conference

sessions Saturday, but she was suppose to come Sunday morning. Well we were

waiting and waiting and she never showed up. I called her after the session

and she said she was really sorry, someone came over and she couldn't leave,

but that she was coming to the afternoon session. Well she ended up coming

in late not until 3:00p.m. But it was SO COOL, because she was watching it

with us in another room because we were watching in English because she

wanted to in English too, and she was there for the last talk by Elder

Bednar!!! PERFECT!!!! When he addressed at the beginning that this talk was

for all those who are not members of the church, you should of seen her

face, it was GREAT!!!! She certainly paid attention!!!! So if y'all could

please pray for her that she will receive an answer that would be

GREAT!!!!! We are going to teach her today in the house of Javier and

Brenda and we are going to try to put a date for her bauptism, for this

weekend!!!

So all is going well with Natali!!! She is preparing for this weekend!!!! Just

please keep praying hard for her and her family!!!!

And well I have a new name to add to the list today, I had wanted to

mention her before and I am not sure if I did... We are teaching this young

single mother of 4 kids, 3 girls ages 6, 5 and 4 and a little boy that is

only 3 months old. She has had a rough time and experience with guys in her

life. Her first husband she married when she was 18 beat her, so they

divorced. Then her second husband, the dad of the 3 girls passed away. And

then the dad of the little baby didn't mention until she was pregnant that

he is already married. She is one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL souls, daughters of God I have had the pleasure of meeting on my Mission!!!! We had a lesson, SO BEAUTIFUL with her yesterday, the Spirit was SO STRONG!!!! Like up there with my first

lesson I ever had with Sandra - strong!!! It was sadly interrupted by her

deceased husband's dad who entered the house and told us to get out. He said

some pretty bad things. I don't know what they were, I just know they were

bad because the Spirit stopped translating. But it is okay, we are going to visit

with her again today. She was really thankful for our visit and really

upset at the way he was talking to us. She apologized for him. But the cool

thing is, I didn't even feel discouraged by his words. I felt thankful that

we could be rejected, because it is moments like that that you really feel

who you are, what your purpose is as a Missionary and who you truly

represent. I know I am a Personal Representative of Jesus Christ. He too

was rejected, banished, yelled out and spat at. I am thankful that the Lord

gives us strength to face that in His name!!!! We are strong in Him!!!! We

are His, His disciples!!! And NOTHING can stop this work from going

forward!!!! So if y'all could please pray for her and her children that

would be GREAT!!!! It would be nice if you could take her name to the temple

to Mom!!!! We are hoping her father in law is really a King Lamoni's dad

situation and that he will have a change of heart!!! It is cool to feel

like I am working on being up there with the Book of Mormon Missionaries!!!!!

Well I know the Gospel is true!!!! I testify Christ lives and LOVES us!!!

That we can all return to our Heavenly Father if we follow him!!!! I gotta

go!!!!!! LOVE YOUALLL!~!!!!!!! Thanks for EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Tarah Ray Sherrod