DEAR FAMILY Y AMIGOS .A FINAL FEW THINGS

Dear Family and Friends.

FELIZ NAVIDAD 2016

Just a final few words to send off this week. First of all I thank my heavenly father for the past amazing 18 months he has given me in his service. I have learned more in the past year and a half, then I think I had in the previous 19 years. I thank everyone whose supported me during this time, for your enocuraging words each week (and sorry for not always responding) and more than all for your prayers. I thank my amazing parents for writing me everyweek and picking me up with their inspiring letters when I was feeling discouraged. Thank you for your guys example, love and prayers.

I would like to bear my testimony that I know that this is the one and only true church on the face of the Earth. I know that man cannot be happy, in this life nor in the next, without the covenants of the temple and the living of the commandments. I know Joseph Smith did truly see God the Father and the Son. ANd I Know that Thomas S. Monson is a living prophet of God, I sustain him fully and love him dearly. I Know all these things through the power of the HOly Ghost. I have seen miracles and tender mercies that I cannot deny. I know that Christ lives. I know it is all true.

Hna Mostert

LAS HERMANAS EN PERU!!!

ICA WEEK???? WELL LOTS OF WEEKS NOW!!!!

Dear Familia and Friends.

HERMANAS BALDERRAMA, MOSTERT, MATOS, LINARES Y LAWRENCE

(HERMANA MOSTERT DICE ADIOS A SUS HERMANAS)

This week, as every one of the last couple of weeks, flew by way too fast! Never the less it was still a great week of contacting opportunities, finding new investigators, and exploring new portions of our area. This week we were able to find Violeta and her daughter, they were another miracle thorugh street contacting in a park. Then we also found Nancy and Frank, nancy is the sister of a less active sister weve been teaching and frank is her husband. They are great, super receptive, and the both have the plan of going to church the following sunday with Nancys sister. We also were able to find again our investigator Evelyn, who had been super busy with her studies and work. SHe also gave us great news that she found a better paying job in which she doesnt have to work sundays!! Shes amazing, really and even though we hadnt been able to meet with her for a couple of weeks, she had been reading her book of mormon diligently. SHe accepted a new baptismal date in January. Though a series of member referrals, and street contacts, we were also able to explore new parts of our area. Especially one called Cachiche, which is mostly dirt and smal little homes, but really receptve people. We were also able to find less active members there! It really showed us that our area is HUGE! Well it was a good week. The sun was a little nicer to us this week, so that was good too.

Also.. HAPPY ANIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!!! Woooooo 25 years!!!!!

Well heres to another great week of opportunities!

hna mostert

DICIEMBRE EN ICA!!!-TRABAJANDO EN UNA CHACRA

This was a great week, and it finished off great as well with a a Saturday trip to the temple with our converts and rescues, and then the Sunday First Presidency Christmas Devotional. The Christmas spirit really began to fill the air this week, with the beginning of the Christmas initiative, Ilumina el Mundo. We were able to begin contacting with the Christmas pass along cards, and people are really alot more receptive this time of the year and weve had  some great contacts. We were also able to find 6 new investigators this week: Cesar and Marta, Rosario, Cecibel, Javier and Piero, all great receptive people were excited to keep visiting and helping to progress. 

WEll this saturday was a very special as we were able to take various recent converts, from our program and from the other program in our ward. The sun came out shining down on the sparkling temple, and just walking around the grounds with everyone, the spirit was so strong. Then as all our converts lined up outside the temple, they mentioned to us their excitement and nervousness at the same time. But then when they came out they all shared their amazement and the spirit they felt. Something changes in a member when they enter the temple for the first time, their eyes are opened a bit more and their testimonies blossom. It really was a blessing to be present in that moment. I love the temple and know that it is the house of the Lord, where he comes to visit.

love you all!

hna mostert

ESTA SEMANA EN ICA!!!!

FAMILA AND FRIENDS!

HERMANAS BALDERRAMA Y MOSTERT

This was a good, yet short week. Due to our trip to Lima for the leadership training on Tuesday, this week flew by even faster than usual. Nevertheless, we worked hard to make up for the 2 days of travel that we were outside our area. We were able to find a new family! Its comprised of the daughter of our rescued sister, and her non-member couple, who have a little 3 month old baby girl. They are very young, both 18 (though they look alot younger), but are both willing to make all the necessary changes to make sure their daughter grows strong in the gospel. They both demostrated this desire by attending church this sunday and accepting our invitations to continue reading the book of mormon (she had shared a bit with him previously) and being able to prepared to be married. They are great, they are very young but i know God has a plan for them. This week we were able to see the Progress of our investigator, Betsy, as shes been reading and praying more fervently, and was able to feel the spirit very strongly at the Elders baptismal service saturday. She now has a stronger desire then ever to preapre herself to be baptized aswell this next month of december. We were able to see many fruits of our labors sunday, when almost all the less active members weve been teaching showed up early for sacrament meeting. Yesterday, hno Julio, who was baptized a couple of weeks ago with his family, received the Priesthood! We saw his after he was ordained and asked him how he felt. He replied that he felt really good, but now he knew he had a great responsibility and that the next step was preparing for the Melchezidec Priesthood. The way he said it, the spirt just testified that he knew and understood his convenants with God. Really this was a great week because the spirit guided us and testified in countless moments.

Well this is a great week because on Saturday were going to the temple with recent converts from ICA!! Woo and even though well have to leave at midnight on friday to get there early, and we probably wont sleep alot on the bus ride, we are so excited!!!!!! The temple is the best and its really something that strengthens the testimony of a recent convert, and all members in general.

hna mostert

ICAAAAAA,HOT, HOT, SUN AND HAPPY MISSIONARIES

HALLO familia and friends.

ZONA DE ICA

FELICES MISIONEROS!!

Seeing that the last letter I wrote was on Thursday, this one will be a little shorter than usual. These last couple pf days have been good. Especially we were able to work hard with the members to make sure that our investigators with baptismal dates could make it to sacrament meeting. However now we have a new focus, helping investigators and less active members stay the whole block of church. Ironically, my companion and I both gave talks on the topic this sunday in sacrament meeting, and still manny of them took off after the sacrament meeting or after the gospel principles class. Our goal is to make sure our commitments include staying for the 3 hours and our plans for church include someone to stay with them in each hour aswell. Well beyond that weve been working hard in the sun, and discovering new parts of our area, where weve been able to find new investigators and less active members. One specific place is called Cachiche, which is VERY different from the rest of our area; its not very developed, and there are no roads and the houses are all made out of adobe. But the people weve been able to teach and contact have been very receptive so were excited to see this part of our area start to progress. Well beyond that this week my companion and I could see our teaching together improve, as we practiced more on what we had observed needed improvement in the lesson. This week the spirit was strong in our lessons, and I know the Lord is beside us at every moments. 

QUEREMOS PASTEL!!!

well today were off traveling to Lima for another training. Im gonna be honest, I am now a regular in Soyuz, the bus company, and all the people on the buses know me (the drivers, the ladies who sell snacks haha).

But yes that was our week!

Hna Mostert

LATE GREETINGS FROM.................

First of all SORRY MOM for writing so late in the week. Transfers were monday so our pday was tuesday, but the missionary portal was done tuesday, and we had a training in lima on wednesday, so that is why im not writing until today, thursday.

FOTO DE SU PLACA

But guess where I am, this final transfer.....ICA!!! Yes thats right folks, going on a solid 6 months in Ica, and yes I am beyond excited.

BAUTIZO DE MARTIN.

This week Martin, the brother of a less active sister (well now newly rescued) Lourdes, was baptized! Really just another great miracle. At the begining of this transfer to be honest I wasnt sure if we were going to keep visiting Martin. We had been visiting him the past 2 transfers and his progress was very slow. He was reading his book of mormon on and off, and coming to church now and then. So when my new companion arrived and our lesson with him came, I told her that during the lesson wed figure out if wed keep visiting him or not. We had gone decinding to teach the word of wisdom, we felt the prompting to do so. This lesson the spirit was so strong, as for the first time he was able to open up to us and share that he had an ongoing addiction to cigarettes. And thats when everything changed, when we were able to apply the gospel to help him over come his addiction, thats when miracles occured. He started reading (and rereading) every chapter we left him in detail, he started arriving early each sunday for church, all in his ethusiastic prepartion for his baptism the 12th. In the end his testimony flourished, and his addiction was overcome; after more than 30 years of smoking packs each day, Martin has now been tabacco free for 3 plus weeks. This saturday he was able to share his testimony and his baptismal service was truly a spiritual experience.

This week kept working with the members with a focus on what we realized we needed to improve last week, refferals. We were able to ask for reffereals in every lesson and in every moment and were able to recieve and contact many. Many of last weeks and this weeks finding efforts and successes are thanks to member and investigators refferals.  So this week and every week well continue doing the same!

well take care everyone, love you all!

hna mostert

ICAAAAAAAA IS THE BEST

BAUTIZO DE LA FAMILIA CHAVEZ

Let me say that really this week has been wonderful. It has just strengthened my testimony that the gospel blesses families. This Saturday we were able to witness the Chavez Family, who my previous companion and I found by contacting the mother in the street, enter into the waters of baptism together. I cannot begin to express my love for this family, for each one of them; Julio, Monica, Valerie and Antonella. Each one of them was able to share their testimony at their baptism, and their words and the spirit felt, testified that they were truly converted unto Christ. It really is amazing looking back, and now seeing them as members of the one true church. I still remember the first day Hna Lawrence and I taught them; they were very receptive and curious. I also remember how Hno Julio kept repeating how he knew all the things we were teaching were good, but that he had been catholic for the past 64 years of his life and that for him personally it would be hard to change. Fast forward two months, he is now baptized, confirmed and even gave the closing prayer in Sacrament meeting yesterday!!! This is the true church, only that is how the spirit has been able to soften this familys hearts and led them to conversion. Really, and what makes us even happier is that they are already signed up to got with the ward caravan to the temple this 3rd of December. The end in mind! That is what the gospel truly is for, eternal families. 

FAMILIA  CHAVEZ Y LAS MISIONERAS 

This week besides the excitement of the Chavez family{s baptism, our other progressing investigator Martin, took some very big steps in the gospel. For the last 35 years of his life, he has been smoking many, many cigarettes per day. These last couple weeks weve been helping him all we can, and so has the ward. Hes received a priesthood blessing, and much of the ward and him were able to fast for him. Hes been reducing the number of cigarrettes these past couple of weeks, but this week the miracle occured. On wednesday when we went to visit him, he told us that on monday he woke up and just didnt feel the desire to smoke at all. He said he had even bought candies to eat when he had the erge to smoke, and then proceeded to take a handful of them out of his pocket. He didnt even feel the desire! After 35 yeard of smoking, this whole week he hasnt smoked a single cigarette. The gospel, and really faith does that. He was also able to pass his baptismal interview this week and will be baptized this saturday. 

The work in our area is going good. Although we have been finding alot of new investigators and inviting them to be baptized during our first visits, we have realized that many of our investigors arent progressing and arent accepting baptismal dates. But do not fear, my companion and I have put goals for this week to work on that to continue to find those chosen people who can progress toward baptism. 

Well transfers are this week, and anything could happen. I really hope Ill stay but its all up to where the Lord wants me!

love you all.

Hna Mostert