I walk out of our
apartment and I begin to walk down the Street and there is a single mother
attending to her store that barely brings enough money in to feed her kids. I
keep walking as we head to our appointment at 11 in the morning. I pass by 2
little boys house that their mom became sick (single Mom) and left them in an
orphanage for a time so she could receive treatment in Cusco. My heart just aches
as I think of how do they do it every day without the love of their mother? In
that momento I thank my Heavenly Father for my mom and dad that have always
been there to support and love me.
A few blocks down a brother in our Ward is
heading to work to help support his two kids, whose mother left with another
man 3 months earlier. I keep walking and we pass by a members home who in Ward
council we talked about because the couple were having many problems and the
father was planning to leave permanently the next week. As I walk my companion
begins to tell me how our recent convert we are teaching admitted to us that
early in her marriage her husband abused her daily and now has fear of talking
with any men over the age of 20. I then think of my last companion who suffered
a lot because her father left her at the age of 8 with her mother and didn’t
return till 7 years later. I just think… Heavenly Father WHY? Why all of this
suffering? Why are there so many destroyed homes, relationships, and families?
Oh I have had many moments in my misión where I will get back to our
apartment and just start to tear up because of all I went through that day
fighting Satan in his journey to ruin the lives of Gods children and make them
miserable just as he is.
In the last general
conference many talks were given on the family and marriage, as well as the
last few issues of the Liahona are filled with tips, council and talks given
about overcoming divorce, holding together the family, having a stronger
marriage, and creating eternal families. Oh how I have found hope in Reading
each talk, story, and council from our church leaders. There is so much
sadness, so much heartache, but in the góspel of Jesus Christ we FIND
happiness. True happiness. In a talk by Elder Bruce C. Hafen he said… “The joys
of human love and family belonging give us hope, purpose, and a desire to live
better. They make us long for the day when we will take the hands that
have held ours together enter the Lords presence. There we will embrace our
loved ones and stay with them always.”
Children are entitled
to birth within the bonds of matrimony and to be reared by a father and a
mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity--- as it says in the
Family Proclamation to the World.
I know that children don’t
have to suffer, relationships between a husband and wife can be strong, and we
can avoid divorce or even more get married in the first place (I feel like no
one here in Peru gets married). But I KNOW by living the góspel and applying
the principles that are taught, we find true happiness and we avoid all that Satan
is trying to do to destroy the family.
Today I want to thank
my parents, my mom and dad. They are incredible. They are not perfect, my
family is not perfect but I know that they love their children, they teach the
góspel, and they strive to “rear their children” to become better people
through the góspel. I know that Satan has less power in MY life because the
decisión both my parents have made to have the góspel in our home be married
and sealed in the temple for eternity, and to continue moving forward. Thank
you so much mom and dad. I will forever be grateful.
No matter your
situation…. There is hope. I know that. I work with broken homes every day. I
know that the góspel heals the home and lessens the power of Satan. Find ways
to teach the góspel more, encourage your children to marry in the temple, express
gratitude to those who are in your family right now… No family is perfect but I
KNOW that all can find happiness through applying the góspel in your homes, and
in your lives. I love this góspel and have so much hope for my future because I
am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Well, I hope you all
have a great week and I am so grateful for all who support me here in the
misión. It is a time I will never forget. Love you all!
Hermana Frame
New place, new faces!
My room is bigger! Yay! But I am so much colder here!
And our shower broke
so there is no hot wáter! AHHHH!
I have been adjusting to all the crazy hills I
have to go up and down!
But the weather is a bit weird. One second it is warm
,
then really hot and then a few hours later the sun starts to go down
and I am
freezing my bum off!
My companion Hermana
Tonga!
She is so great and we will be doing so much great work here!
She is
from Bolivia and she will be ending her misión here in 3 months
so I am excited
to help her have the best 2 transfers before she heads home.
Being an Hermana
leader will be crazy!
I found out we travel literally 2-3 weeks of the transfer
so I will be getting to know a LOT of places! Yay!
I am excited to help the
sisters and I have already gotten a million calls for health problems! Crazy!
It is a good change and I am so excited!
Some pics from one of
our investigator and her kids!
He loved taking pics with my camera and he is
the cutest thing!
Leaving Quilla was
hard but I did it!
The members and my converts and all the people I was able to
get to know
will forever be in my heart!
In Cusco making
cookies!
All of us Hermana leaders had a great time helping all the new
missionaries
coming into the misión from the CCM!
Pic of all of us NEW Hermana
leaders! We are going to have a blast
and I will get to see them every month
for a meeting we have as leaders!
