WEEK 40: I DRANK SOME REALLY BAD WATER, BABY NOW I GOT BAD BLOOD... AYE

dont freak out, Im fine now... haha but got sick from some nasty water.

PONDERIZING SCRIPTURES: D&C8:1-2, 10-11, D&C 6:14-15,23, 1 Nephi 4:6-7, D&C 88:64, John 1:46, D&C 93:12-14, Acts 2:22, Matthew 4:10, Hebrews 4:14-15, Hebrews 5:8, Luke 23:35-39, John 8:44, 2 Nephi 31:5-7, Psalms 44:6-8, Psalms 45:2, Psalms 46:1-10, Psalms 48:2-3,11-14, John 1:21-51

TUESDAY: HAD INTERCAMBIOS WITH THE INFAMOUS HERMANA COOPER. The weirdest part, we didn´t speak a lick of English. It literally gives us pain to speak in English. But we were able to teach with unity and love and bring the spirit to every lesson. We saw so many miracles and heard incredible testimonies from so many of her investigators. She told me of the INCREDIBLE change she has seen in me in 6 weeks... and I didn´t even realize it was happening... that`s just how so strange and amazing this gospel is. It transforms you. AND I LOVE IT. KEEP IT COMING.

WEDNESDAY: Contacted and contacted all of the references that we have received all day setting a ton of future appointments and resulting in some nasty sun burns... but thats okay. Vale la pena. During lunch, our member was supportively helping us prepare for the activity we were planning to do with the youth on #stopit. But what we didn´t realize was when she broke down in tears from her own experience being bullied and gossiped about from her sickness she has and how she stays home from church sometimes because she´s so sick. She´s literally dying and people are talking bad about her. I broke into tears and just threw my arms around her and said ¨El Señor no va a dejarle.¨And she said a very VERY strong prayer crying out for more time to make things right and to help and teach her kids more how to live more like Christ. INCREDIBLE moment. FINALLY taught Cheekies an actual lesson where we answered MANY of his questions and doubts he had. Worked out because he accepted to come to mutual! MIRACLE. Brought him right along with us. Had EVERY SINGLE teenager write a positive comment about everyone else on a sheet of paper just like we did in fifth grade. Then watched the Bullying-Stop It mormon message. Absolute. Silence. We asked them what they feel they need to change. THEY fully opened up to say they to need to be careful about the things they say on social media and gossiping. The doors of heaven were opened. AMAZING. Gave out the awesome cards #STOPIT that a member made for us. AND now everyone has it on their social media and in their scriptures. AWESOME.

THURSDAY: bad part of the week.... woke up with ZERO energy. Well enough energy to get up and throw up. TMI I know, but it was just an awful feeling. Elders came to give me a blessing and Hermana Cooper and Escalera brought Gatorade and saltine crackers but I just could not move. But ... what happens when you really become a missionary... you HATE staying in the house. So we left to work. Ate lunch. I threw up again. Returned home only to find Katia from Atlixco who came to pay a visit. As I looked like I was dying, tried to give her excitement for all her plans in the gospel and her news about her family. So happy for her really am. But went back to the house and passed out.... felt SO bad. In tears I was trying to find some sort of comfort. Fell across an old letter from my Dad that I had printed out and still not really read it. Here is a little part that literally cheered me up so much:

As you know, pizza is my favorite food on the planet. There is simply nothing better to me. When given a choice, pizza wins almost every time. There is a pizza place in town that I loved BEFORE I was introduced to The Blaze Pizza. The founder of The Pizza Rock has a book called The Pizza Bible. In that book, there are tons of recipes for great dough. There are different variations of ingredients for these doughs, but there is one common theme for all of them. The best doughs are not made quickly.

As you make the dough, you add the ingredients carefully. You knead the dough with love. Once all the ingredients are blended well, one special ingredient needs to do its work. Yeast. The dough needs to rise. That takes time. Most of the best pizza doughs do not take an hour to go to work, it takes 24 to 48 hours. When you go to the best pizza restaurants, they have the dough you are eating prepared one to two days earlier.

The dough is the foundation of the pizza.

As stated previously, the dough takes time. If we want to make the best pizza, we need to be willing to put in the time. Our dough must be allowed to rise properly. There is a thoroughness to the work. The yeast must get to every part of the dough. We must allow that process of conversion to be complete. In the gospel, we do not offer half our heart but all of it. We must not be surprised, when the work accompanying a testimony takes time. When our prayers take time to be answered. The answers usually come in significant time to the most difficult and important questions. There is a reason, just as the yeast must take time to do its work.

A pizza pie becomes personal to you with that foundation. You have allowed yourself to be molded to the principles of the gospel You are firm in the principles of the gospel, but your heart (the center) has become soft to God’s will.

To me, this is core to each of us. We all have a foundation of testimony that has taken time and in many ways is still rising throughout our lifetime of experiences.

As the dough completes the conversion, the dough is ready to be pressed. Think on how your life has been pressed and will continue to be pressed at times. After that pressing, the pie maker throws it through the air to be stretched and lightened. The blessing of being pressed and thrown is a process to complete conversion. The dough is now ready and anticipating “good things to come."

Now, God is so caring, and so loving, that he created each of us unique. Not one of us are exactly alike. We express our testimony in unique ways!

Think about Blaze Pizza. There are three sauces available: a traditional sauce, a spicy sauce, and a creamy white sauce. Some of us in life are a little spicier than others. Some are more smooth and laid back. Some are more traditional. Some are a little bit of spice and a little bit of sweet. Our sauce is core to who we are.

The toppings are all personal too. Think of all the different types of cheese, the meats, the vegetables, etc. There are so many options. Lucy and Ella are both addicts of the white sauce, with mozzarella cheese and bacon. Joseph loves getting all the meat he can on that pizza. James loves just about anything on his pizza. Sydney likes the barbecue sometimes. Mom likes her gluten free crust. Think of all the infinite possibilities. The beauty of this analogy is that we are all children of a living and loving Heavenly Father. Each one of us live and love in our own unique ways. Letting God rise within us, allows us to rise and become what He created us to become. We do not lose our personality in this endeavor, on the contrary, our personality is discovered and enriched. Each of us are His. Each of us is unique. Each of us are amazing creations of God.

Sincerely made my day. Even on one of the worst days of my mission. . And I knew that this was just another time to be pressed and thrown. But the tasty pizza miracles are COMING AND I KNOW IT.

FRIDAY: Woke up still sick and dizzy and dying but Hermana Lopez literally did my makeup like I was a dead body and we got up and went to zone conference which was amazing. Just wish I could have been completely conscious. President Stellmon sincerely is a man called of God. Has so much wisdom as well as his assistants. Learned so much. AND yes, it is true. WE can wear pants now. So strange. But I just want to wear long skirts so that is the plan. Came home where had intercambios again with Hermana Cooper so that I could rest and Hermana Lopez could go work with our investigators. Hermana Cooper and I connected a lot while I was resting and spoke of so many talks, apostles, prophets, and scriptures that have changed our life. So strange how this stuff brings me full joy now when before the mission I never would have imagined it would have.

SATURDAY: Thank goodness for miracles, because I felt like I had just resurrected. DIdn`t feel sick AT ALL anymore. SO straight to work we went. Taught Felipe who confessed to have taken a drink and felt SO bad for it. Taught him on the story of Jesus being tempted after his 40 day fast and he told Satan to ¨GET THEE HENCE¨ Felipe just needs the courage to say NO. Helping him with that. Then WALKED for an hour all to our little pueblo Cuapan to possibly see if our old golden investigators were home. AND MIRACLE. Every single one was home. Gave us Pepsi, and begged us to return to teach them. MIRACLE. THEN, got a WONDERFUL phone call. BERENESA (our investigator from Veracruz) IS GETTING BAPTIZED. A girl we just started teaching has taken all the lessons from missionaries in Veracruz but is going to be baptized her! June 11th. ABSOLUTE MIRACLE CHANGE. Sincerely my faith has grown so much. ANYONE can change. IN whatever amount of time. If the Spirit touches their heart. Taught Jessica and her kids... which was actually very quiet as none of the kids wanted us to meet the dad... we don`t know why but we want to because then Jessica can be baptized if they can get married... praying to find out the problem. Taught Michelle who happily told us that she went to the temple with the family. She LOVED it. She wants to get baptized, is breaking up with Erik, and IS GETTING BAPTIZED JUNE 11TH AS WELL. I AM SO SO SO HAPPY. Ended the day in a family night with a part member family using my fathers example he sent me about the flaxen cord and satan tempting us with the things of this world. Wrapped string around the hands of the 10 year old son and told him to try to break the string. At first he could, but as I continued to wrap, it become impossible to break free. ITS THE EXACT SAME WITH US. WE can`t allow us to do little things that will at one point chain us to Satan. We need to repent, and BREAK FREE.

SUNDAY: Played piano for Sacrament meeting once again and received a feeling that I really need to study the scriptures that go along with the hymns. Have no idea why, but it was a feeling from the Spirit, and I will obey. Check back with me next week how that will go. Taught Berenesa who had her baptism interview as well today and SHE PASSED. She is so willing to live every law that the Lord commands and increase her faith. I LOVE HER SO MUCH. Went with 3 of the youth to teach Edward.... and he wasn't there. But great to see so many youth members desiring to help in this work and prepare for the mission. Ended the day setting a goal with Felipe and his family to be sealed in the temple in May 2017! ALL AGREED AND ARE SO MUCH HAPPIER AS A FAMILY. This gospel brings SO much happiness to the family. And I am SO honored to be a part of this work. Even if it is only official for 18 months. But I`m still planning to live my life as a missionary for time and all eternity. (:

(sorry there`s no pictures this week. NEXT WEEK)

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#aleluya

#creerespoder

Hermana Abigail Creer