Untitlable

This was a poor attempt to come up with something creative so when I turned to Hermana Groll for advice she said, "Just call your e-mail untitlable!"

Done.

So many wonderful things happened this week!

First things first.... we went to the temple!

 

​Twice, actually! We went on Tuesday as a zone and were able to enter and then we went on Saturday with the Elders in our ward and brought up our investigators!

 

 

We had arranged some members to drive up and talk with us and there was some miscommunication, but it all turned out alright! The spirit is still the same and it turned out to be a really wonderful experience :D

 

 

We also, like always did divisions! I feel I don´t really talk about Divisions that much :) They were so wonderful. Essentially, Hermana Groll and I split up and go with the other Hermanas to their areas and help them out. We make sure they have progressing investigators (we normally try to visit the most positive ones and see in what ways we can help them so they can become more prepared for baptism) and if not we try to help them find new ones!

I went to La Joya with Hermana Juarez, Hermana Juarez  has only been out a month and is from Guatemala. I love love LOVE working with the new sisters. They have such a fire and excitement to share the gospel and are so so humble and just working for ways to improve. We had a wonderful day and some of the people they are working with are just a delight!

Something funny: my entire mission I have always dealt with bug bites- no matter where I am, no matter how much bug repellent I put on my legs (I have even had less actives and English students buy it for me!) it seems I´m always getting eaten alive. I was telling Hermana Juarez and she said she puts lemon juice on her to relieve the itching! So this darling hermana just comes over with half of a lemon and squeezed it all over my legs. She´s wonderful!

 

 I also went to Santa Lucia where the one and only HERMANA RODRIGUEZ is! Wohoo! We did trios since we had NO TIME this change so I was with Hermana Castro (who also  has  only been out one month) and Hermana Rodriguez. She immediately started asking me about everyone! "How is Africa? How are your friends in the mission? Has Chad gotten married yet?" I was happy to give her the Snelson family update and she wanted me to tell you all hello. Once again, wonderful wonderful missionaries but sadly their biggest struggle is that no one is going to church! Members and non- members alike. They are in a branch and you have to take the bus to get to church and they only pass every half hour and folks feel bad if they don´t make it so it´s all or nothing. But the faithful ones make the effort and that´s what counts!

Something funny: we went to a less- actives house and their mom was there and we taught her too and she said that she would go to church. Well we asked if there was anything else she needed and she jokingly said we could help her make tortillas and I said, "done son!" She was a little surprised but we were there making the tortillas for dinner :)

 

 

 We are doing just wonderful. We are receiving a lot of help from the youth (shout out to Kristian and Hannah who left with us all day until they went to Seminary together) which is always the key to success! 

Like always we are just so happy and loving every day and every moment. We can feel it- every day we are just growing more and more and getting better and better and truly seeing wonderful miracles and the marvelous blessings that the Lord has for us! 

We are so happy and grateful for all of your support, prayers, friendship, and laughs. Have a wonderful week!

A wonderful week in the hundred acre woods‏

First things first....

WE ARE GOING TO THE TEMPLE TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whew. I just had to get that out there.

A couple weeks ago I decided to read the New Testament and it feels like so many things I have been studying in Matthew are all centered on faith. 

1. People seek help from the Lord

2. He is patient with them and explains that they need to have faith

3. They have faith, but then must act on it (faith without works = dead)

4. They are able to receive the blessings from the Lord 

5. They give thanks!

If there is anything I have learned in my lifetime it is that I must act before God can bless me. And if I am ever proceeding in the wrong direction then he tells me that is where I shouldn't go. I am so grateful that my relationship with my Heavenly Father has been strengthened and grown in so many wonderful miraculous ways! I have truly learned how to communicate with him.

It is such a wonderful feeling as I work with so many different hermanas just to see how sharing a simple testimony can invite the spirit and help these people have their hearts touched and come unto Christ. It has always been a goal to not let one person leave without sharing a testimony with them. It doesn't matter if they are someone sitting next to me on a bus, or an investigator who opened the door, handed the Book of Mormon back and basically said, "See you later!" I know that I am here to touch the lives and hearts of these people,  so we try to enjoy and seize the moment and share the truth of what we know!

I KNOW that God lives. But even more, that he is a God of Love and wants the very best for us! I know that he has sent each of us here to this earth with a purpose, and that I am fulfilling that purpose RIGHT NOW! I know that he has blessed me in incredible ways and there are even more that I can't possibly comprehend. I truly know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and I receive a confirmation of that truth EVERY SINGLE TIME that I read his testimony in the Book of Mormon. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and I have had the pleasure to read it in English and in Spanish and the spirit of God is the same! I am so grateful and blessed to be here, learning and growing so much!

Now some pictures from our week:)

This is Rafael! I had the pleasure to sit next to him on our 15 minute ride home last Monday and he was talking about how the Mormons are great, wonderful people but that he was born and raised Catholic and there he would stay! (he also told us that we were beautiful and asked if we had make-up on. I of course said no and he said perfect! I looked just gorgeous naturally and didn't need any of that junk and to please tell my mom she did a wonderful job!) I just told him, "Buddy, I wouldn't leave my home, my studies, and my lovely family and friends for a huge lie. It's the true church Christ established!" He took a card (he, like every other person here has gone to the states and commented on the temples so I gave him one with the Salt Lake Temple) but I didn't realize I had written my number on it. He called me like an hour later thanking me for our pleasant conversation and told me that he hopes I have a wonderful time here in Honduras and God bless you!

 

​Our paper chain that we made to count down when we went to the temple! We were planning on going next week (I took this picture yesterday) but alas! We are going tomorrow! yay!!!!

Today, in our taxi coming to down town to write all of you wonderful people!

Muchísimo amor por cada uno de ustedes!

-la Hermanita SnelsonA

Hello Everyone!

To all of the beloveds of Hermana Snelson,

Good afternoon, for those of you who don't know me, I am Hermana Groll. I have the great pleasure of addressing you today as the wonderful Hermana Snelson's companion. She has asked that I speak to you today on the subject of "God is a God of Miracles" along with perhaps a few other matters as well. 

But first off can I just say that I LOVE HERMANA AUBREY NOELLE SNELSON! Really truly she is absolutely incredible and I have already learned so much from her. She makes me laugh, she has SO much energy, she is always happy and works so dang hard. She LOVES the people and serves her companion faithfully. She has a strong testimony and through her stories it is very clearly evident that she has gained this testimony throughout her life by always choosing the right, always having a desire to go to the temple and choosing to surround herself with good friends. Family and friends, Hermana Snelson loves you so much. There's not a day that goes by that she is not sharing stories of how much she truly loves you. :) She's just super great, and I love her. 

Hokay, week of miracles. :) So something we've really had a testimony of this week is the power of the Book of Mormon. It has the power to convert and fill our lives with the spirit but the people have just got to read it, darn it! First we have Perla. She's amazing and is just on fire! We were on divisions when Hermana Snelson visited her but she is loving reading the Book of Mormon and has already read almost 20 chapters (to win the promised prize promised by Hermana Snelson) but is just full of questions. But then we run into incidents like Jessica. She is our investigator that we love love love love love. She is a single mom and relies heavily on God to direct her and help her raise her boys. She loves reading the bible but seemed to have some doubts about Joseph Smith because of misunderstandings she'd heard in the past. We introduced  the Book of Mormon and bore testimony of it and read scriptures ABOUT JESUS. But when we asked if she would read it she shut the book, pushed it away and said "No. I only believe in the Bible." Well, the lovely Hermana Snelson bore a beautiful testimony of how much we love Jessica and how much the Book of Mormon can bless us and how she was denying herself blessings if she didn't read the book. afterwards we knelt down and prayed to ask God if she should read. She commented on the tremendous peace she felt after the prayer and asked "When are you coming back?..... Friday? But I will have only read 2 pages by then!" Prayers are answered!! The spirit testifies of truth. :)

Other miracle: We once had a little 8 year old girl yell at us in the street and bring us to her house. There we found a lady named Marvileth that seemed very ....... well not your typical golden investigator,. right? Just not that interested. But after visiting her we realized that she had been visiting with missionaries before and that she had wanted to get baptized but the man she lived with didn't want to get married with her. So we visit her a few days later and she just pours her heart out to us in a beautiful testimony. "I KNOW that this church is true. The missionaries told me to pray and when i did, GOD TOLD ME it was true. And I have a great faith that God is going to help me find a way to be baptized." Isn't that amazing? Years later and that impression from the spirit, that conviction of the truth is still with her. Her knuckle head of a partner still doesn't want to marry her but with her faith and ours I know that God always prepares a way for His children to keep His commandments. Afterwards she shared us a soup she had made.

 

 

 Hermana Snelson demonstrated great bravery in eating off the spoon that Marvileth had just slurped off of. :) Embrace Honduras. 

AND GUESS WHAT??? So one of our greatest challenges has been getting people to come to church.... So we really really focused on that being our main goal this week. Our investigators needed the blessings of going to church!! So we have these wonderful people (wonderful humans as Hermana Snelson would put it) that we found through opening the mouth. They've commited to coming the past few weeks but just haven't showed up. There is Gertrudis (the Grandma) Liset and Hazel (daughters of Gertrudis) and Stefani, Freddi, and Antony (Liset's children). Liset's husband is an alcoholic and Liset especially has expressed her desire to be clean and free from her past life of sin. So you see they need the gospel! :) And so we visit them Saturday night. They were all together (except Freddi) and we talked and bore testimony solely on the blessings of going to church. Friends and family, there is not a more beautiful sight to see that waiting at the entrada de La Modesto and seeing ALL SIX of them walking up the hill coming to church!!! All in their Sunday best jeans. :) We jumped up and down and ran to hug and greet them! OH! We were so happy. and! They were too. :)

There is so so so much more to tell. :) But for now just know that Hermana Snelson and I are more than alive and well.... WE'RE HAPPY! And the Lord is pouring out His blessings upon our little corner of the vineyard. He knows His children, and He loves them. He's aware of the details of our lives and His hand is in this work. And I as her companion can say that I love all of you! I've heard so much about you and just know that ya'll are such wonderful people.

Take care and say a prayer, cuz you know... He's always there. :)

Love,
Hermana Groll

Hi everyone!

There is no time to write this week because I took the time to actually read everyone's e mails! I just feel so much love and happiness and have tears in my eyes. Thanks to everyone's wonderful examples and all that you do for me- you're wonderful!

-we got healthy (and it's mango season) and made spinach salads with mango, grapes, and just a smidgen of granola :)

 

*cute companions

 

 

 

* we met President and Hermana Bowler (shout out to Hermana Groll for her cute dress!)

 

 

 

we love you!