First Week of Transfers

Buenas Mi Querida Familia y Amigos,

Ok well this week was interesting... My new comp arrived Tuesday and her name is Hermana Perez from Guatemala. She is full of energy, similar but different to my last companion, Hermana Ortiz. This week I showed Hermana Perez the area and we made plans for this transfer....UPLIFT the WARD and LEADERS...our MISSION and FOCUS for this transfer.

Monday Night we watched The Testaments with four families for Family Home Evening and they were all astonished that they now want to make a ward activity to watch it as a ward..it is quite great. Then Hermana Ortiz said her last goodbyes...it was tough on her because she had been in this area for almost 6 months.

Wednesday through Saturday  we walked a ton and my comp is a LOT smaller than I am haha so my normal pace was her jogging pace...whoops but she now can keep up with me it´s AMAZING really. Her last area had everything close by because it was a pueblo and here everything...well our area is a lot more spread out and lots of hills.

It´s been super HOT this last week. I wake up in the middle of the night because it feels like a sana and our fan is broken..oh dear. haha

Hermana Guiterrez stayed and Hermana Reyes left...sad. Hermana Guiterrez is training Hermana Mieses and she´s Dominican. She is SUPER AWESOME...love her seriously the best addition to our house and she cooks for us...dominican food. YAY it´s wonderful and she showed me how to make my own spaghetti sauce and it´s delicious.

This week I had to be a little more stonger because my comp has gone through bad companionships and is having a hard time letting go. The Lord sends us obstacles sometimes because we are to learn from them. So that we may see ourselves more like Our Heavenly Father sees us. So that we can strive to become more like the beings God knows we can be. REACH OUR HIGHEST POTENCIAL. God stretches me everyday to know myself a little more profoundly. Thank you Lord for loving me enough to break me Edown. STRETCH CONTINUOUSLY TO SEE YOUR STRENGTHS REACHING GREAT LENGTHS.

LOVE you ALL. Thank you for the support and prayers. Til next week.

With Much Love,

Hermana Fernandez

GET IT DONE!

HIGHLIGHTS of the WEEK:

- RAINING LOTS...we're in RED ALERT...hurricane on it's way...EXCITING!

- We've got three baptisms coming up in the next weeks!!! Sencio is preparing for the 28th of September...HOLY COW! I can't believe it, he has progressed immensely! 

We are teaching twins called Melissa and Julissa and they have come to church for over two months and are trying so hard to read and study the lessons! They are preparing for the 21st of September! I´m so proud of the twins and they are literally the funniest girls I have ever met. They talk as if they were 30 years old and hopefully I can talk Spanish as quickly as they do someday haha...they talk as if all that they say is one word! Just imagine! They have great faith, a gift God has given them and I learn so much from them.

We must HUMBLE OURSELVES each and every day to do the LORD´s WILL and DO IT with FAITH, believing that the LORD will lead us in every detail in our lives if we let HIM! These twins have taught me just that...they probably don´t know it, but they have been a light in my life, as have been all of my investigators in different ways.

- Transfer are TODAY...oh man my trainer is leaving me =( sad day and I´m receiving another companion...we shall see who she is?? All I know is that I´m staying in LAVA PIES...Hallejuah!! 

- We´ve got 32 sisters entering the field...SAY WHAT?? SOO MUCH ¨WORK¨....THE WORK IS EXPLODING!!!

- We learned to make sweet platanos (platains...sp?) MY FAVORITE (water and dominican brown sugar to make the carmel, cinnamon and platains...delish!)

Truly, I feel so blessed to have been chosen to come to Dominican Republic to serve my brothers and sisters here and that the Lord has given me the opportunity to introduce to them the greatest treasure anyone could have on this earth...the GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST in these latter-days! I love my Savior and the strength He gives me each day. I know that He is my Brother, Heavenly Friend and Redeemer. I know that He lives.

Thank you for the emails, love and support. I love you all and miss you dearly!

LOVE

Hermana Fernandez

FOREVER BE ONE with the LORD

PUGH. What a difference from last week..

This week was full of strengthening my sisters. The companionships that lives with me and my companion have become great examples to me but together they can't seem to tolerate each other..yikes girl problems...why??

Well this week was a spiritually uplifting one. I desperately needed it.

We had a Woman's Conference on Thursday and it was exactly what I needed to boost me up a bit..this work is absolutley perfect and marvelous but exhausting. I got to bear my testimony on how the Lord has blessed me as I have adapted to the mission. I know my purpose here that is how I have adapted through the change of routine, food, language, culture, and environment. I know that as I have given the Lord all my heart, might, mind and strength and I continue to do this, I will be greatly blessed with His comfort and love. I know that with all my heart and mind, I want others to have the same opportunity I was given 5 years ago...to have the gospel in my life. What a great gift I've been given and I want ALL to have it too.

There are about 40 sisters in this mission and there's 68 in the MTC here in the DR getting ready to join us in the field next week! YIKES the work is EXPLODING...so GREAT!

Then Friday we got to go to the TEMPLE! IT IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! I love the temple. I got to remember the covenants I made there. I challenge you to continue to strive to get to the temple or go as often as you can. I felt my Savior's love there and the love of our Heavenly Father for each and every one of us. It was absolutely incredible. I got to share my testimony of the great blessings we can receive as we attend the temple to my sisters here. I know that the Temple is the House of God and we can receive great revelation as we attend. I love the temple. I think I already said that, but it's true...I didn't want to leave!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to watch The Testaments! It was absolutely perfect for me and also one of my house companions because she has been having problems with her companion as I mentioned earlier. The Lord knows us perfectly and that movie testifys of that and so many other great principle and teachings of the Lord. You should see it. I was able to share my testimony to one of my companions on how we must find who we are and truly know and believe that we are a daughter/son of God and know what that means. I know I am a child of God. I know that He love me and you. I know that through scripture study and constant conversion we can come to the knowledge of the great meaning of what it means to be a child of God. I felt inspired to share John 17 with a friend and now would like you, family and friends, to go read and ponder upon this chapter!

I love you all! And sincere thanks for all the love that has been given to me through emails I've received! Really thank you..thank you isn't enough for how grateful I am for each of you! Keep them coming!

Love your favorite missionary,

Hermana Fernandez "Nat"