Tuesday, November 25, 2014

More pics :)

 
 
Yay!!  She finally got the package we sent her (twice)  We sent it once and it got returned so we sent it again.  Who knew it would cost $140 to send her fishy crackers and fruit snacks.  HaHa!!

 
This little guy is one of her buddies.  He sat by her the other day and kept taking everything out of her bag just so he could put it back in.

 
One of the members wanted them to feel a little closer to home so she made them a Thanksgiving Dinner.  Apparently an Elder from St. George told her the wrong date so they had it a week early :)

Finally Got Her Package :)

Hola Familia! 
First off, thank you guys so much for the package! It really was the best thing ever to recieve! I loved the pictures and the letters so much, and it was so great to eat fruit snacks again, and have some new music!(: haha so really thank you guys a ton! This week was really great! On Thursday we had a thanksgiving lunch! A sister in our ward wanted the missionaries here from the US to feel like we were closer to home so she made us a big thanksgiving feast, turkey and all. haha. It was super nice of her and it really meant a lot to me! The funny thing is she asked an elder from St.George what day thanksgiving is and he said the 3rd Thursday of november haha so we had it a little early! But it was great! We also had Zone conference and it was so amazing! I love Zone conference! The spirit is always so strong and we always learn so much! President Wagner and Sister Wagner really are such great examples to me and they really try to make us feel like we are part of their family! They take really good care of us out here! Things here are going really well and I am so so happy because I will be spending Christmas in this area (: I was really nervous that I would be transfered before Christmas but I will be here till at least January 5th! (: Im really glad I will get to be spending Christmas here because I love this ward so much, and Hermana Cedillo and I have been blasting the Christmas hymns for the past month hahahaha so really it would just be horrible to have been transfered to a new ward with a new companion for Holidays! But this week we really want to focus on finding some new investigators! We have a lot of work to do here but things are going well! Something really exciting is the Romeros are doing everything to get ready to go be sealed in the Temple on the 20th of December! It is really cool being a part of their preperation and seeing them grow closer to our Heveanly Father! We have a great week ahead of us here! Thank you guys again for the package! It truly meant the world to me! I hope you guys have an amazing Thanksgiving! I love you guys so much and am so thankful to have you guys as my family! (:
Love always,
Hermana Searle 

Monday, November 17, 2014

More pics :)

 
Baptism of Francisco :)

 
Beautiful Girls!

 
Having fun playing a little basketball on Pday!

 
Silly girls :)

 
Basketball !!

Baptism :)

Hola Familia! 
This week was so crazy, but so great!! (: On Tuesday we had district class and it was really great. We had a lot of help from the members this week and they really brought the spirit into the lessons! We were able to teach Lidia again and I really think she will progress! The days during the week were pretty normal but the weekend was one for the books! haha. A few weeks ago we had gone to teach a young man who is in a branch where there arent missionaries and he has been recieving the lessons over the phone for a year, we didnt think we were going to be able to finish teaching him because it is a 3 hour drive to where he lives but on Saturday the branch president and his family brought Francisco, the young man, here for us to teach him. He had already gone to church 5 times so all he needed was the lessons to be baptized so we taught him all of the lessons and then he had his interview and was baptized all in the same day! It was so crazy because he didnt even know he would be getting baptized in the same day as all his lessons so we didnt have anything planned but with the help from the members, and our zone and district leaders we found everything we needed and were able to put together a baptismal service that really was so spiritual. Elder Christensen and Elder Hernandez both gave talks and then a brother from another ward played his gutiar and sang Grand Eres Tu ( how great thou art) and sang and it was amazing and then in the end Fransisco bore his testimony and his faith is amazing! It was so cool to be a part of his day and I felt so blessed to be able to teach him. On Sunday we were able to find some inactive members who never would let us teach before and they were so willing to listen and recieve the gospel in their houses again. There is a brother in the ward who served part of his mission, came home early and hasnt been to church much since and he is about 35 years old and normally when we teach his mom and his brother he leaves but yesterday he sat and talked with us and talked about his mission and it truly was amazing! We have a lot to work to do with him but I truly believe slowly he will come back to the church! I loved this week so much, and today we got to play basketball with some other sister missionaries and the youth from their ward and it was a blast! I am loving everything out here! We have transfers next week and I am hoping I dont get transfered but we will see what happens! haha I am so glad all is well back home! I love you guys so much! Have an amazing week(: 
Love always,
Hermana Searle 

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

A few new pics:)

 
This kid is Kylie's buddy :)  They even have a secret handshake!!

 
If you look closely enough you will see Hermana Searle standing by the green "a"

 
Beautiful Hermanas

Cavity free :)

Hola Familia!
What a week! haha so everything ended up well with the dentist and I now have cavity and retainer free teeth! haha. But this week was really great! We are really starting to see some progress with the ward here and it has been really great! We have some really strong members here who really want to help teach the investigators! It is really great to have their support! This week we had a really cool experience, we were looking for one of our investigators, but she wasnt home but her son answered the door and as my companion was talking to him a man asked if we had a book or a pamphlet that he could read So i started talkingto him and explaining that we are missionaries and everything and we had a member with us and she shared her testimony with him and we gave him a Book Of Mormon and set up an appointment with him and then he asked if he could go to church and we of course said yes and he came to church with us yesterday!! It was so cool because people dont usualley come up to us and ask to go to church or anything but it was such a cool experience and we really think he will progress! This week we also had some really good lessons with Guadalupe and her mom Juana. Guadalupe is a lady who really understands the scriptures and she told us that the Book Of Mormon was the answer to her prayers! She accepted a Baptism date for the 13th of December and we are really excited to teach her! This week we also were able to teach Edith and she too will be progressing she is really great and so are her kids. We had breakfast with them the other day and I gave her kids an English lesson and they are just a really awesome family! But her husband lives in Seattle and she hasnt heard from him for 2 weeks so she is really worried but it all has helped her come closer to our Heavenly Father! We have a lot of work to do with them still and hope to help them out and hopefully they will be baptized soon! Things are so great here and the weather is even getting better too! I am loving being here and I am so glad all is well back home! I love you guys so much and I hope you all have a great week!
Love always,
Hermana Searle

Monday, November 3, 2014

 
 
 
She said "So, for Halloween this year I decided to dress like a hippie..."

 
Then I decided "no, I will just be a missionary"
 
 
HaHa!  I love this girl so much!!!!!!!

 
So, apparently this is Kylie's bedroom.  Wow, its quite a bit different than what she had at college or at home.  I cant explain how I felt when I saw this picture.  I guess it was a reality check for me of just how simple life is for her right now.  I asked her if she wants blankets and she said no.  She is content with how things are. We really take for granted all the worldly possessions we have.  Today she said she wishes she could do more for the people in Mexico.  She is impressed with how humble they are and with how they live.

6 months :)Hola Familia!!

Hola Familia!!
6 months has FLOWN by! I seriously cant believe this past week I hit my 6 month mark! This week was so great! I was a little stressed and overwhelmed the first couple days this week but it truly ended up being a great week! On Wednesday we had members from the ward with us the entire day and the spirit was so strong. It was so amazing. One of the members, her name is Aby, is 18 and considering serving on a mission and it was really cool working with her. We also have a really great investigator right now, her name is Lizbeth. She is 16, and reminds me so much of books. She is such a sweet girl and just wants everyone to be happy. Her mom is a member but hasnt gone to church for years. But Liz wanted the lessons so we started teaching her and she will be getting baptized in December if all goes as planned. She went to church with us on Sunday and it was so great! She loved it and is excited to have met some girls in young womens and to be attending church! It is really cool watching her progress! And, she even was ready to go to church at 7 in the morning! so that was great! haha. This week was Halloween and it was weird being in a different country haha but they celebrate it here, but not like home. There were a few little kids trick or treating but not a lot. And the Older kids all go to a part of Vallarta where a lot of Americans live that always give out money haha so that was funny to me. But this week really was so great! A lot of our investigators are seeing so many blessings in their lives right now and it is such a testimony builder for them and for us! I love being out here on my mission and I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to be out here! This week we have a lot of really great lessons planned and we have a lot of members that will be teaching with us! And, the weather is finally good! It is still hot but not miserably hot and it has been cloudy all week which has been fabulous! I hope that you guys have a great week! I love you all so much!
Love always,
Hermana Searle