June 2nd - Ask yourself... What do I want to be like in 10 years?

Hola  Familia!!!!

It has been the weirdest week. I am not even kidding. I am not longer in a trio. Hna. Pineda had emergency changes this morning, The elders tried calling us at 1110 last night but we didn’t hear the phone so she started packing at 630 in the morning. It was a little crazy.

We met an amazing woman this week, Carolina. I seriously love her so much! I was just eating some chips and I felt like I needed to give this lady walking by some chips so i did. She gave me this huge hug and we went to her house afterwards!! It was amazing. We have been visiting me pretty often and she has such a huge desire to go to church and so does her kids. They are seriously always smiling. They live SUCH a hard life. I cannot believe some of the things they have been through. They find so much joy though in the message we teach. I know every single person who truly listens with sincerity can feel this same joy as well. Even though they were not able to go to church this week, I know that they will be able to come next week!!
 I am so excited!!!

Victor... is just the coolest person I know. We gave him scriptures this week and he was like my treasure!!!!!! He came to church by himself too because our ward mission leader came to his house super late so he just left so he could come to church on time!!! This kid is so pilas. I love teaching him!!!

As I was teaching Victor, Chicago and queen came on. SO HARD TO FOCUS. It didn’t help it was Your My Inspiration…. I thought I was going to die.

Just ask yourself this question... What do I want to be like in 10 years?? Now what do I need to change now so I can be that person in 10 years?? My zone leader asked us that and really got me thinking.

Then he put a list of attributes of Christ and said would Jesus Christ say the same things about you?? It was a wakeup call for me but then I realized the lord and our Heavenly father see us as we can become not as we are. we just need to see ourselves as they see us.

I love you all so much!!!!!
Thanks for all of your support and encouragement!!!!
Hna. Webster
Bear

Note From Kiras Mom, the pictures would not download this week.

May 26th I feel My Saviors Love

Bueno...
This week..... VICTOR GOT BAPTIZED!!!!  This joven is so pilas. He helped us chop wood for a recent convert and he was teaching the elders how to do it. He literally just chopped the wood in half his first strike. He is ridiculous. We waited for a while for his parents to arrive at the baptism but it was so worth it. (They aren’t members!) She (his mom) stood up after the baptism and hugged him for so long and she was bawling. She looked at me and was like we are coming to church tomorrow!!! (She didn’t come but it is because they aren’t married, her and her husband, and she feels guilty and knows she can’t get baptized until she does). We were able to help her understand the importance of obedience and she had lots of questions about the Book of Mormon. But we didn’t answer them... Victor did. It was incredible. He was telling his mom how she needed to read, meditate and then pray!! I was smiling so big!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we are teaching this adorable family and I accidentally left my hymn book in their house. (I now know it was the Lords hand) When we returned to pick up my hymn book we were able to testify simply yet boldly about the book of Mormon and Freddy would not stop looking at it and skimming the pages as we taught him!! They came to church on Sunday too.... by themselves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited to continue teaching them and help them understand the truthfulness of this message.

So I am in trio.... with my mission mom. If you remember well... we did not get along very well but I know the Lord is helping me become a more Christlike person. We have had to work hard but I really am seeing her in a new way. I know I just need to humble myself to the Lords will and forget myself. I can do all things in His strength. :)

I lead the choir for a visit form one of the area presidency. If you knew me before the mission, i didn’t even know how to lead!! It was an incredible experience. We weren’t singing very well in practices and the Lord really guided me to bear my testimony of the truthfulness of the words we were singing, I feel my Saviors Love. It turned out beautifully and I truly felt the saviors love surrounding me :)

1. I feel my Savior's love,,In all the world around me.
His Spirit warms my soul, Through everything I see.
2. I feel my Savior's love;Its gentleness enfolds me,
And when I kneel to pray,My heart is filled with peace.
3. I feel my Savior's love, And know that he will bless me.
I offer him my heart; My shepherd he will be.
4. I'll share my Savior's love,By serving others freely.
In serving I am blessed. In giving I receive.
Chorus
He knows I will follow him,
Give all my life to him.
I feel my Savior's love,
The love he freely gives me.

I love serving here in Guatemala. I love my Family. But most of all I love the Lord. He has given me so much and I don’t know how I will ever repay Him. I am just working with all I have to pay back a little of what He has given me. I love you all so much!! Share the Gospel... it makes you happy!!!

Mucho amor,
Hna. Kira Webster aka Bear

Hermana Trio

May 19th A week of Miracles

Well this week was full of miracles.
My heart is so happy. So I had exchanges with Hna. Arevalo and she took my place in SanFe. It was so much fun!!!! We got to talk about members and investigators and converts in San Felipe. the greatest thing she told me was this joven, Gustavo who hasn’t come to church in so long started coming again!! I was so excited. i could not believe it. the best part was it all started with a little note that I had sent to him. I sent like 50 cards to all of the people in San Felipe that have touched my heart. When he received my little note, he read it over and over again and has been going to church ever since. I think as a missionary I haven’t really seen many fruits but sometimes i forget many fruits come with time. I have never felt so happy when I heard that he was going. He is the joven who was wearing the deer park shirt in one of my pics!!!
Elder Seagrd, my zone leader gave a really inspired message this week. He talked about love and if we truly love the people we are teaching and then he shared the most influential scripture on my mission with all of us and it became even more influential.

2 Nephi 33:3

 But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I Pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry.

Love until it hurts is what he told us. That is what I plan to do. Love these people with all my heart. :)

Wow. Victor. He is so pilas!! He is 14. And he has so much faith!! He is getting baptized this Saturday!! When i asked him to be baptized he was just like SI!!!!!!!!  I asked why he was so sure. His answer... I have faith Hermana. Then it gets even better. I asked why he always wants to listen to us and go to church. He picked up the Book of Mormon and said Yo sè que es verdadero. No es mentira. I know it is true. It´s not a lie. I am so amazed at the faith of this joven. If only all of us had this type of faith!! I am so excited for his baptism this Saturday!!!!

Last but not least.... MAURO. The missionaries have been teaching him forever and we pass by every once and while. We came last week with his daughter and he came in the middle of the lesson. He told us he has been thinking about being baptized and was going to tell us his answer next time we came. So i went with Hna. Arevalo and 2 members. It was such an amazing lesson. The spirit really guided me in what I needed to ask him. I asked him what he expects from our visits and he just went off for like 5 minutes about how he wants to be baptized and how he can be prepared to take this step. I WAS JUST IN SHOCK.  I was smiling so much and so was Hna. Arevalo!!! :) He told us I feel like I have been with the Mormons since the beginning. He told us his whole conversion story. He has listened to missionaries since he was 13 years old and he has decided to be baptized on June 7th!!! Close to your bday daddy!!

I am so excited. I love this gospel. It changes people. Not us as missionaries. It is all the gospel!!!
I love this work. I love you all!!!
xoxoxo
Hna. Kira Webster aka “bear”

Kira and her District Leader

May 12th, 2014 My heart is full of love and peace and joy

My heart is full of love and peace and joy. I got to talk to my beautiful and amazing family yesterday!! It felt like I never left. I cannot stop smiling. I feel so blessed to have them in my life. Tell your family you love them. Take the time to get to know them and spend time with them. These are eternal bonds you are building and strengthening. I know my family is forever and I am so grateful for all they have taught me. I love you Mom and Dad and Boo and Vernie!

Well we received a reference from the Lord this week. We were so lost and we had no idea where to go.  So we prayed and my comp saw this girl enter her house and so we went and visited her. INCREDIBLE THIS GIRL. Gladys. The first question she asked was Can you come and teach me more?? Um okay!!! I was so happy. We made a mistake though... we were getting other investigators to go to church and couldn’t make it to her house so SHE WALKED 30 MIN TO CHURCH BY HERSELF. And she didn’t even know where it was. Wow. I love her so much! her faith strengthens me and I know the Lord lead us to her. I am so grateful for the Spirit in this work!!

Esly. She is pregnant and has 3 kids and no money at all. I feel so much love for her as we teach her. I want her and her family to have these blessings from the Gospel. She came to church on Sunday and Hna. Briceño and I were praying to go pick her up and I just felt that I needed to bring my oatmeal. As we were leaving I went and grabbed it and my comp asked me why?? I told her and she said I was feeling the same way. So we ran back to the kitchen and shoved a ton of food into a bag to give to her and her family. Hna. Esly was just so grateful for this little bit of food we gave. I know as we listen to the Spirit and serve those around us, we answer prayers and represent the Savior.

Last but not least. This video has changed my life. Everyone. EVERYONE MUST WATCH IT.  I have never felt so empowered to change and become better. I know Jesus Christ is my Savior. He lives and because He does, we will live again too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3TI4bYerU
 Aquellos que hablen Españo!!!! ( It is better in Spanish!!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPeJ91Hw6w0

I love you all!!!
xoxox
Hna. Kira Webster aka Bear

May 5th, 2014 ! I love this work and this Gospel. It is true!!!!

Wow!! What a week!! It goes by so fast here. Primeramente.... feliz dia de la madre a todas las madres en el mundo!!! I love you allllllllllllll so much!!! All of you have helped me to become who I am!! I especially want to say Happy Mother’s day to my mom and grandma!! I love you both soooooooooooo much and appreciate all you have done to help me be who I am today!!!

So we helped a recent convert wash her clothes. she doesn’t have a lot of money so the soap was just tiny ( we wash clothes with a bar of soap and a rock sink that has a little hole at the end) anyway. This little bar of soap flew down the drain as I was scrubbing the clothes. I was freaking out and then 5 minutes after I reached for the bigger soap that we had just bought and knocked her tooth brush down the drain!!! I was laughing so hard. I bought her another tooth brush! No worries!!!

We visited Hna. Blanca and Hna, Ismelda on Tuesday... I love them sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!! Ismelda said. Quedé en blanco cuando salí del agua. Y poder recordarlo el domingo. ( I stayed white when I left the water and was able to remember it on Sunday!! -sacrament) It was a beautiful moment. Then her mom was like I am trying to change and become better everyday!! So pilas in the Church!! I love it.
I found reeses!!!! It is a miracle!!!!

I had divisions with Hna. Moreno!! She is 26 and goes home in a month. We talked about how fast the mission goes. I thought of Vernie being with her. It was so much fun!! We almost got killed by this huge German Shepherd. Not even over exaggerating. It was terrifying. It would charge at us like 20 times but it was as if a shield was in front of us-- angels. I know it was. I am so grateful the Lord is looking out for us. We ran into a girl, Yanira who we had taught  2 weeks ago but she hide form us. She called out my name and gave me a huge hug. We went later with my comp and she came to church!!! it was awesome. She said she feels good in her church but I know if she reads the Book of Mormon and truly prays about it that she will know this Church is true. Everyone can know these truths but that simple act of faith. :)

I love being a missionary!! It is hard work and discouraging at times but I know the Lord has sent me here for a reason!!! I love this work and this Gospel. It is true!!!!
xoxoxo
Hna. Kira Webster aka  Bear

April 28th 2014 This life is not the end. It is only the beginning to something even greater

BLANCA WAS BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Blanca en español means white. It was a very white Saturday!!! Blanca and her daughter Ismelda were baptized. Words cannot describe how I felt. She has been such an amazing example to me of faith and endurance. I feel so honored to teach her and her daughter Ismelda. I could not stop smiling on Saturday!!! It was a lot of running around in the morning but we pulled it off. The other sisters in our ward had 3 baptisms too so it was just an awesome spirit there. The Bishop spoke afterwards and was truly guided by the Spirit what to say. Hna. Blanca has always had a hard time remembering everything but he talked about how it is okay if they don’t understand everything. That is the beautiful thing about the Gospel. We never stop learning. We never stop growing!!!!!! It has been so fun helping her be prepared throughout this week and seeing them confirmed members of the Church on Sunday was just perfect. This is why I am a missionary. Through all of the tears and slammed doors in our face, this is way I stick with it. To see these people change and open their hearts to Christ!!! I know it is only through the Gospel, the true Gospel that these changes can come about. I have no doubt in my mind that I am teaching the truth. I love this Gospel.

We found an awesome lady named Paola on Wednesday!! She didn’t really seem super interested but I felt like we needed to ask her if we could come in. She grudgingly opened the door and said pasen adelante. Then I saw a ton of pics of her mom who died 2 years ago. As we testified how she could be with her mother again after this life. She changed. The Spirit testified to her that we were speaking the truth. She was so concentrated on us in the whole lesson. I don’t know what will happen with Paola but I know that the Spirit has testified to her that God has a plan. This life is not the end. It is only the beginning to something even greater.

I know this Church is true. I know Jesus Christ is my Savior. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and he did see God and Jesus Christ. I have no doubt of that. If you do, ask the Lord with the desire to know and act accordingly and He will testify to you as He has to many others of the truth,

I love you alll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxoxooxox

Hna. Kira Webster

 

 

April 21st 2014 Live His Gospel and teach it to others.

Well I went back to Young Women’s this week!!! There was an activity with the youth in the Stake!!!!I loved it!!! 3 girls went and taught with us. I loved hearing their testimonies and seeing them invite others to come unto Christ!!! The future missionaries of this generation. We visited lady who hasn’t come to Church for like 2 years and she was so happy when we all came. These girls made her day and she said she was going to come to church!!! (She has never even promised that before!!!) She still didn’t come but I know with more lessons with the Young women she will definitely be there on Sunday... soon!!!

It was Blanca’s Bday!!! ( and Hna. Ingrid from San Felipe...love her!!!) We bought her a delicious cake and it was so much fun!! We went with the Ward Mission Leader and Cristian!!! and..... she has decided to be baptized this Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with her daughter. I was so stinking excited. Her faith has grown so much and I am so excited for her!!!!! Please pray for her so she can be ready for this Saturday!!! She is such an amazing lady!!!!

So it was Semana Santa. Here that means time to get drunk. So we were inside for Thursday and Friday. We had English class for the Latinos... the teacher.... yours truly!!! We played  Jeopardy!! It was so fun. They loved it. I love teaching English so much!! and yes I do have another English class here in Concepción. It is the best. I loved getting people excited to learn another language. We also watched the Errand of Angels.. missionaries in Germany. One part of the movie, the sister is reflecting on all of the people she has taught on her mission. I started to do the same... wow. Incredible. I have had so many amazing experiences here. Not huge or great but small and impactful. I have never loved the Gospel like I do now and I have never wanted so many people to know it and accept it. I love this Gospel with all my heart and I know it is the way to have true happiness in this life and the next.

So my Zone Leader. Elder Segard aka Garrison Colvin’s twin taught me an important lesson today without knowing it. The sun is super bright lately and I have been kind of hard on myself. He just said wow it is amazing how one little cloud can block the light of the sun. I just kind of sat there and thought about how one little negative thought can block my light. I cannot let this little cloud stop me from smiling or being happy. Struggles are a part of life but we choose to be happy!!! No more little clouds of negativity for me. ( I don’t know if that made sense!!!)

I was studying the Resurrection and trying to figure out how I could best remember it. In the Bible in all the Gospels, Christ tells His disciples to Preach the Gospel and then I realized that is how we can remember what He did for us. Live His Gospel and teach it to others. I invite you all to do the same.

I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxoxox

Hna. Webster

aka.....Bear