Hay Milagros

Well... I am aboslutely in love with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This has been an unbelivable week. I survived my first transfer, still in the same area with the same comp and loving every minute of it. These are the last 5 weeks of training and who knows where on earth I will be next. But one day at a time. Loving and cherishing every minute of it. I love the little Lamanite woman that brings 5 bees on the tiny bus with her and makes us all of us have the psycho-est ride because of the stinging. I love little houses and people and faith that I am so blessed to witness here!

So many things happen this week and I want to tell you all of them! But time will not permit it... Oh well. Fabiana is coming along. She had a rough week. We went to teach her the last lesson in preperation for her baptism and her sister, mom, and friend were in the room. They had just learned that she wanted to be baptised and thus they were teasing, ridiculing, and persecuting her like I have never seen. I could not believe the things they were saying and how rude they were to her. Trying to convince her that she was not worthy and couldn´t do it. They were talking and talking and would not let us say a word. My comp leaned over to me and said ¨I wish I had the priesthood and could silence them.¨ I just looked at her, looked at sweet little Fabi who is just trying to follow the Savior and who wants to be clean... and I sat up and looked at the friend and sister in the face and bore testimony to them like I have never done before. I testified of the Savior and the Atonement. Of the power they have in our lives and how obedience is essential for salvation. I could feel the Spirit speaking through me and calming Fabi´s tears. Her sister and friend, who usually don´t try to understand my spanish because I am a gringa, just looked me and did not say another word. We had our lessons with Fabi, she passed all her interviews, and we are getting ready to go. We had to delay her baptism a little bit because of the interviews and because she went out of town to visit her people. Anyway, we are working with her and have faith that everything will work out. She knows it is true, she loves the Book of Mormon, and she wants to follow Jesus Christ.

We taught little Fernanda the Plan of Salvation and when I said ¨You can live with your Heavenly Father and your family forever¨ she burst into tears. I felt SO bad and had no idea what happened. She turned to me and said ¨but my mom doesn´t want me.¨ Well that just about broke my heart. We held each other and talked and cried and tried to work things out. Her mom left her with her completely inactive but member gandma a long time ago and her mom doesn´t really keep in touch. This precious little 10 year old girl just wants love. She is so awesome and we are working with her to keep her emotionally stable to teach. She is a precious daughter of our Heavenly Father and He will help her.

Antonio... oh man this boy. We went through everything possible with him this week. He is 17 and thus we called his mom who lives 3 hours away to get permission and she said no. We tried to get the legal gaurdian that he lives with here to sign the paper and he said no. We tried to get a hold of his dad in the USA and didnt have a phone number. Finally got a hold of his dad and he said fine it is your decision, and thus the legal gaurdian of the house signed the paper and we were good to go. Antonio has the strongest testimony, loves the gospel, knows the Book of Mormon is true, and wants to be the best missionary. So we were preping for his baptism, he had all the lessons, gave up coffee and everything, passed the interview... and then the night before he called us bawling his eyes out. His mom had heard that he was going to our church and freaked out. She said that she no longer considered him her son, she would never send money for school again, and that he needed to forget all of his past and go work somewhere alone.

That broke my heart. He was devistated. He wanted to be baptized so bad but he is a minor and needs to finish this semester of school. I had no words to say but 1 Nephi 21:15-16 came to my mind...

15 For can a ^awoman forget her sucking child, that she should not have ^bcompassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may ^cforget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.

 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the ^apalms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Never thought I would have to use that scripture so literally. We cried and talked together for hours. We went into the chapel and sat by the baptismal font that was filling up for him. We went through every solution and possible way for him to be baptized but he said no. He said he couldn´t. He wanted to so bad but would have to wait years until he was stable and older and done with school. We shared and testfied but nothing was working and he would not be baptized. We cancelled everything after he said the final no and we went home. We went to bed so tired and so sad for this boy. Right before church the next day we got a call from Antonio and he said ¨I had a dream in which a woman told me that I was more dead than alive right now. And I want to live. I have the faith that all things will be made right and it will all work out. Can I still be baptized today?¨

Well that was the best phone call I have ever recieved. We jumped for joy and got everything ready. He asked me to sing ¨Senor, te necesito¨ and I was just trying to hold back the tears. When he got in the water I almost jumped in and shoved his head under before anything else happened... haha but he was baptized and confirmed the same day! We called his father and his dad said that he would send money for school. Mmm... I love prayers. I love miracles. I love the truth of the gospel and the incredible faith of these saints to withstand all sorts of afflictions because they know it is true.

Mormon 9: 

15 And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do ^ano miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.

 19 And if there were ^amiracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he ^bchangeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.

 21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, ^awhatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this ^bpromise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.

 22 For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to ^aall his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;

 23 And he that ^abelieveth and is baptized shall be saved.

I love the work of salvation. The Savior lives! He is so present in our lives! President came on Wednesday and we had a great multi-zone conference. I learned a lot of wonderful things, one of which was taught by president. He told the story in 3 Nephi of the Savior ministering to the people and beckoning each of them, one by one, to come and feel and see. He then related that the Sacrament. How we have the same opportunity to come before the Savior, to touch his flesh, and listen to His voice. To feel His power, one by one, and be healed through the ordinances of the Sacrament. I had the most powerful experience on Sunday thinking of the Sacrament in that way. It was right after everything happened with Antonio and we barely made it for the Sacrament. I held that bread in my hand and felt the Savior say, ¨Jane, this is given to heal you. I really can make you clean again.¨

Oh how I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. We can be made clean through Him. I love trusting in that promise and letting Him work inside me to cleanse, heal, and perfect.

I adore my family. You are in my thoughts and prayers always. Always, always, always.

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Jane

Brave

Note: Jane's birthday is Sept 3. Feel free to send her a birthday letter ;) see addresses in last week's post.

          Ah! Mi amoroso familia!

Los amo mucho! I can´t even stand it sometimes. I testify about the importance of families, let´s see here, every single day and I just fall more in love with my own! I am so grateful for your letters and prayers and pictures and jokes... oh man. So much joy to be had in this beautiful little world.

Accomplishments of this week... my companion now says homie. My shoe tan line is coming along nicely. We got lost in the mountains and were surrounded by 8 wolf dogs... literally. We ate at 5 houses in a row one day. And I ate my first grapefruit since I´ve been here. So delicious.

Thanks to my girl Sara Bareilles, I decided to just be ¨Brave¨ this week and I didn´t let anybody say no. If people said they didn´t have time for us to come in I would just start sharing right there and pulling out scriptures, pamphlets, questions, commitments... If people hesitated, weren´t sure, and didn´t know if they wanted to come to church I just answered for them and told them that they did. If someone opened the door, I stepped towards it and shook their hand on my way in. haha :) we saw miracles this week. There are so many wonderful people being prepared to hear the message of the gospel! And it applies to every single one of them.

Fabiana is the most beautiful little single mother and I adore her. She wants to be clean and happy and follow the Savior. She loves the Book of Mormon and every time she opens it I just get teary as I see all her little markings and notes to the side. She always says ¨I don´t know why but I just feel like I need this book.¨... oh man I love it! We´ve been teaching her since she got here and she is finally ready. Baptism wednesday at 7 so just be praying for that one and wishing on every 11:11 on the oven and microwave clock. She asked if she could come teach other people with us so she did...  bien calidad! Too bad those don´t count as lessons with a member yet... but she bore sweet testimony and the investigators could see her courage and desire to do what the Savior has asked. We have another investigator, Antonio, that is a gem and asked to come out and teach with us too. He read the entire gospel principles manual and knows everything. haha the only problem is that he is 17 and his parents are a bit crazy and do not want to let him baptize. We are praying our hearts out. Good thing is he turns 18 Sept 11 so if worse comes to worse we cant wait til that day and he says that his first decision that day will be to ¨follow the Savior and join His true church¨. 

I was singing a song this week and changed the words to ¨Jesus the very thought of Thee... makes me cry¨....  :) but seriously. I cannot think about the Savior without crying. I love Him with all of my heart and soul and I am so grateful to be a representative of Him. I still can´t get over how powerful that is.

I am so grateful for the Saints that came before me. For Alma and Amulek- and their faith and example as missionaries, their dilligence in how they ¨labored much in the Spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his spirit upon the people... that he might baptize them unto repentance.¨ (Alma 8:10) For their trust in the Lord and humility in always saying ¨let us...exersice the power of God which is in us... but be it according to the will of the Lord.¨ (Alma 14:10,13). For Ammon´s patience amidst intense suffering while traveling ¨from house to house... [teaching] them in the streets¨ and relying fully on the power and wisdom of God to deliver them from all manner of afflictions. (Alma 26:30). For the women and children cast into fires because they would not deny the Christ... for the prophets who consecrated their lives to keeping a record for thier children and in the end sacrifices thier very lives for its preservation and safetly.

For those blessed pioneers who carried forth the Restoration across America and into all the corners of the earth- in rain and snow, mud and dust, through inumerable trails and tribulation and incomprehensible suffering. But they had a fire burning brightly in their eyes and hearts as they carried their most precious possesions in those handcarts- their families, copies of the Book of Mormon, and tools with which to build the temple. They knew the worth of these things. They understood their eternal significance and thus were willing to leave behind all their earthly posessions and homes to build up the kingodm of Zion and a foundtaion for us all.

All of this points to US. Our fathers have said...

¨And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophecy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know what source they may look for a remission of their sins.¨ (2 Nefi 25:26)

¨And how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know¨ this Christ, too! (2 Nefi 2:8)

We truly are in the last days. The time for the harvest is here and we are the ones, chosen in the pre-existence and prepared all of our lives here on earth to gather the sheep, to seek out the lost and the weak, and to prepare this wonderful, wearied world for the coming of it´s Master and Creator, our Savior, even Jesus the Christ. Each of us is called to this work, just in a different section of the vineyard for a time.

When the Master returns, and the time comes for me to report on my labors in my section of His precious vineyard that He so lovingly entrusted into my hands... I want to be able to say- ¨Master, I have done all that Thou hast commanded of me. I have been obedient. I have been sufficiently humble and relied on Thee for my strength. I have dedicated my mind and heart to doing Thy will. I have labored every day in all dilligence, sacrificing for the cause, and contiuning even when I was so tried and discouraged and downtrodden because I knew who was working right beside me. Thank you for those hands which bore me up and carried me forward. You have been my strength and I trust you. I have kept the faith, I have nourished this part, and we are ready to recieve you.¨ 

The Savior is coming and I cannot wait to be there and see Him. I love the Book of Mormon. I love it! All I want to do is read it with investigators and all day long. It has unseen powers that are so real. This is the true church and these people need us to lead them into it! Let us all try a little harder this week to work a little harder is this wonderful labor of love. You are all in my prayers. We´re doing this together.

Con mucho amor,

Hermanita McGill

New Addresses

An easy way to write is through dearelder.com. You do not need to create an account. Just choose "write a letter" then choose her mission. It is free. If you want to mail a handwritten note or package, here are the mailing addresses.

Packages-

Hermana Jane McGill

Mision Guatemala Quetzaltenango

5a calle 14-35 Zona 3

09001 Quetzaltenango

Guatemala

Letters-

Hermana Jane McGill

Mision Guatemala Quetzaltenango

5a calle 14-35 Zona 3

09001 Apartado Postal: 206

Quetzaltenango Guatemala

Stories from this Week

Pic #1 - making tortillas with investigators
Pic #2 - My darling friends that pick me all the flowers and draw me pictures. They
live on top of a mountain but I will hike it 100 times for them.
Pic #3-  favorite jungle path

Familia!
I am so happy! I just smile all the time! I love it. Last week was crazy and hard but I learned so much. I really try to take every moment to learn a little bit more about myself and about the Savior and how I can be more like Him. I have been memorizing hymns in Spanish while we walk and it has brought a very special spirit into my heart and helps me prepare for lessons. My companion is super sick so she just coughs while we walk and I just sing. The sky was gorgeous all week long and little sparks of sunlight came through the clouds every morning, followed by perfectly blue skies all day long.

Spanish is really coming along. I feel so blessed. I have taught in spanish, english, sign language, and learned to pray in Mam... the gift of tongues is real. I could not do this work without it! We made tortillas with some investigators and it was hilarious. The lady of the house was so stressed about her dog and told us a 40 hour story about its health and at the end asked me to say a special prayer for her dog. My comp looked at me with this little smile and both of us were trying so so so hard not to laugh. Then I went to another persn´s house and as we sat on her bed to teach she started moving this cloth on her foot... I started getting nervous and then she unwrapped this giant wound that she has just had surgery on... I love praying for people. 

Then I get up in church to bear my testimony and the lady on the front row starts nursing her baby. And then this oldest little Catholic lady walked in and started doing her own little worship in the front of the chapel on the floor... that was an interesting church meeting. Trying to teach her in our Gospel Principles class was also a little bit interesting but all is well. The gospel is for everyone and I am so grateful that you can feel the Spirit. It doesnt matter what language you speak, if you can read, or if you are deaf. The Spirit speaks to your heart and soul. I love that.

I love listening for the little promptings of the Spirit. I love feeling the little quiet peace as I listen to the Holy Ghost telling me what to say next. I love feeling like I should turn around and as I do seeing the tinest, tannest lady crying in the street. When I walked up to her and put my hand on hers, she collapsed in my arms and we just cried and talked about Heavenly Father´s love together. I love holding little 10 year old Fernanda on my lap on the bus home from church and hearing about the beautiful things she learned in church that are preparing her for baptism on the 25th. I love listening to 17 year old Antonio tell us how grateful he is for our visits, how he has felt changes in his heart and life, and how his desires are different and now he wants to be baptized and someday serve a mission too.

Just know that there are SO many beautiful, wonderful, humble little Chapin people praying their hearts out every day, in their tiny tin houses for ¨la familia de Hermana Miguel¨ as they say. They love you guys so much. And so do I! Thank you for all your love and support. We are doing this work together! Building Zion all around the world... so people can experience the same joys, the same peace, and the same hope of eternity that we have.

All my love,

Hermana Jane

Pressing On

Note: She didn't send pics this week, but I just added this picture because I love it!

Mi amoroso familia,

I love being a missionary :) I love sharing the gospel. I love teaching people about the Savior and reading with them in the Book of Mormon. I love watching spiders crawl out of my bag when I reach in to grab something. I love not knowing that the soup might have tongue and brain in it until after I ate it. I love walking through grassy fields full of flowers and cows and stepping in the largest mud pot ever. I love playing volleyball with 4 foot Latinos. I love watching the storms roll in from the porch of an investigator. What a wonderful world this is... so beautiful.

Sayra rocked her first Sunday in church. Right after Sacrament (which her husband came to with her!) she came running up to me and said vamos! its time for class. And then she leaned over during class and sad "I feel so much happiness." I love her. She got assigned to be the head of a service project commitee that is making blankets for a little village nearby. Calling on the first day. That's one way to keep her active. Hermana Castaneda and I taught the gospel principles class because we dont have a teacher and it was so awesome to hear the sweet little thoughts and testimonies of our investigators. One even bore his testimony in Sacrament Meeting this fast Sunday. That was awesome :) His name is Keivin. He has 17 years and is studying at a school here. He loves the church activities and is learning super fast. He is struggling to commit to a specific day for baptism but we are praying and working on it. It will come. That is how a lot of people are right now. Progressing but not commiting.

I started reading in the Book of Mormon this morning, just where I was in Mosiah 26, and when I got to verse 13 and 14 about Alma pouring out his soul in prayer to the Lord about what he could do for these people who arent making and keeping covenants- I was reminded of a little experience I had yesterday.

I was trying to think of how I could improve my teaching or my lessons with investigators and less actives too. I want to be more like the Savior, to say what He would say and love as He loves. I kept thinking to myself, man if the Savior were really here He would know exactly what scriptures to share, exactly what things to say, and what questions would invite the spirit of revelation and lead them towards making covenants with our Father in Heaven.

Then I thought again- 1) I am literally a representative of Jesus Christ. I have been promised the companionship of the Holy Ghost to give me the words to say and to witness to my investigadores that they are true. I bring them to Him.  2) Our Savior, Jesus Christ, was rejected himself so many times. Every single day of His life. No matter what miracle He performed, who He healed, what He taught, or what blessings He promised would follow their obedience... some people still rejected the Savior himself. The very one who a few days later would give His life for their salvation. Who would suffer incomprehensible amounts of pain so they would not have to if they would repent. The same Redeemer, the same King of all the earth, the same Shepherd whom they chose in the premortal realm to come down and rescue their weary souls.

¨For it is I that taketh upon me the sins of the world,

for it is I that hath created them,

and it is I that granteth unto him that believeth unto the end a place at my right hand.¨ (Mosiah 26:23)

This truly is the Lord´s work. All that is required is a willing heart and hands dedicated to doing His work, building the kingdom of God on the earth and establishing Zion wherever we are. In the process of doing this, we find our own personal refinement. We find ourselves emersed in the process of perfection and also enveloped in the arms of his love and peace.

¨He that findeth his life shall lose it,

and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.¨ (Mat 10:42)

I love this work. I love testifying of the Savior and I love knowing that everything I testify of is real and true! There is not one doubt in my mind. I put all my trust in the Savior to go where He wants me to go, to say what He wants me to say, and to become who He wants and needs me to become. And through this process I hope to bring as many souls as possible into the arms of our Savior, Jesus Christ, to Him who is mighty to save, willing to forgive, and whose hands are ready to heal.

¨Thou ary my servant, and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life, and though shalt serve me and go forth in my name, and shalt father together my sheep.

And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep, and him shall ye recieve into the church and him will I also recieve.¨ (Mosiah 26:20-21)

Oh how great is my joy and how humble my heart with this sacred calling to represent this perfect person, our perfect friend, and perfect Advocate with our Father. He lives. I know it.

I love you guys so much. You are truly my inspiration and my motivation. I love nothing more than testifying of the potential that families have to be happy and eternal through the gospel of Jesus Christ. His work and His glory has become my own- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of every man that will listen to me.

All my love and prayers,

Hermana Jane