6 mos (8/24/2015)

Tomorrow marks 6 Months in the mission! Crazy how fast the time is flying.  I can still remember very vividly my first days and my disaster in the airport haha but Im so grateful for the opportunity to be here!! 
Its amazing, I am so happy to finally be able to say that I understand why they say the "best two years" although for me its the best 18 months :) There really is nothing better than serving the Lord, and those around you. 
I hope this week you have all had the opportunity to go out and visit someone, I promise that no matter how stressed, sad, overwhelmed, or alone you feel if you go out and serve someone in need, if you open your scriptures, and if you pray you will feel the love of the Lord stronger than you ever thought possible. You are never alone! 

This week has been, crazy! Full of work and full of laughter and joy. Yesterday a child of the... spit food at us and tried to kick us when we passed her in the street hahahhah but its ok cause we went to the house of our investigators and they gave us big hugs and kisses and we just laughed it off. There really is no replacement for work, especially in the work of the Lord. 

Thank you all for your examples to me! I hope you all are doing well! dont forget to pray. 

Love You all!!! 

Love Hermana Speakman 

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/come-unto-christ-2014-theme-song?lang=eng

Week 19 (Aug. 17, 2015)

This week I have no time please forgive me! We had an activity for our zone and it ate all our time. 

But this week has been really amazing!! and really exhausting haha.

We were able to go out on visits with members from the ward and meet with the less active members. I know as a member before I came on my mission, I really didn't understand the value of going on the visits but as a missionary, it not only helps my faith and helps me to be spiritually rejuvenated haha, but also we really can see the difference it makes in their lives. 

There are a lot of people lost and confused, who just need a little help and to feel a little love not only from us but from our Father in Heaven through us. The little things we do make all the difference!

Thank you all for everything you do for me and for your examples and love for me. I love you all very much and hope you have a great week!! Don't forget to pray and Read!!! He is always there to listen :) 

With love,

Hermana Speakman. 

Week 18 (8/10/2015)

Hello everyone! 

This week has been a little crazy! I got sick Thursday night and that lasted until Sunday Night. Sunday I also had the luck of giving a talk in Sacrament meeting... my main goal was to not pass out, my second was to make a little bit of sense. Not sure if anyone understood anything but I didn't pass out so I achieved at least one of my goals! haha 

This week two of our investigators came to church!! Alejandra came again, and also Jazmin Soledad. Shes 15 years old and is the Daughter of a less active member. When we first met her she had the worst attitude and wanted nothing to do with the church but she has completely changed and is now asking us why she has to wait so long to be baptized! It was a great experience and what made it even better were the members! They were so welcoming to Jazmin and Alejandra, they have friends in the church to help them feel the love of God stronger in the church. 
I know that when I was at home I really wasn't as good as I should have been with helping the missionaries with their investigators and the members as well feel comfortable and happy at the church, but being out here on the mission has taught me and shown me the difference the members can make in their lives! I would like to challenge everyone to test it out and see the difference you can make.

Attached are a few pictures of my companion and I with the kids of the family Bogado Leon! and one of the collectivos that save our lives and our legs every day haha.  

Thank you for all of your love and support and prayers. I miss you all

week 17 (8/3/2015)

Hello everyone! 
I hope you all had a great week. 

This week we were able to teach a family of investigators and the parents committed to prepare to get married the 29th of August!!! :D and then get baptized and prepare to go to the Temple to be sealed. This family is amazing I love them so much. 

We were also teaching the daughter of a menos activo and she at first wanted nothing to do with the church but changed her heart and now is preparing to be baptized. A miracle passed and she decided to live with her dad instead of moving back with her mom and we now are going to have the opportunity to continue to teach her and help her :) 

I once again almost died from the hole in the collectivo, this time was more serious I'm pretty sure the collectivo fell apart after we got off haha next week there will be a picture of the hole.

This week we got stranded at the house of our family after setting dates with them to get married and baptized and we had to walk home for more than an hour! When we were almost home a drunk guy started trying to offer us a ride to our house on the back of his motor scooter, luckily our police friends passed by and took us home in their truck haha! 

This week has been full of adventures haha attached is a picture of Alejandra, the daughter of the family Bogado León, her parents are preparing to be married the 29th and weren't able to come to church this Sunday but she came with us and here is a picture of us on the collectivo that we almost died in, on our way home :) 

This week I got the news that Great Grandpa Lynn had passed. I know he is so happy now with Great grandma and I will forever be grateful for their examples to us and for the families that they gave me. He will be greatly missed, but he won the battle and now he is resting in peace and I will always be grateful for this knowledge. 

I hope everyone is well. Never lose faith. I love you all. 

Be strong and of good Courage. 

Love, Hermana Speakman 

Paraguayan dancers outside my home

Time to replace the shoes...1st set to go

Week 16 (7/27/2015)

Hello everyone! 

Long time no talk.

Well, these past few weeks have been full of ups and downs! But, these past weeks have helped me really be grateful for my family and for the gospel and for all the things that it teaches us. This week I really was able to view the influence of my family in my life and I just want to express how grateful I really am for my parents my grandparents my aunts and uncles and cousins and friends and all the great examples that I have had in my life! I know that without you all I wouldn't be here and my life would be completely different. Thank you all for everything you have done for me, for your love and support and help in the times when I needed it most. 

This week we were able to meet a lot of new people who really have a desire to change their lives and follow the example of our Lord which really is the greatest thing to see as a missionary because we can help them. Although its always difficult because it is a big life change, we can see the joy that they have through this change. 

I had the opportunity this week again to renew my testimony and love of the Book of Mormon and the power that this book has and the guidance that we receive from the Lord through this book. I challenge everyone to start today to read the Book of Mormon a little every day and see the difference that it will make. 

Also, this week a man brought his oven onto the collectivo....... and a woman brought three bags full of chickens, that were alive........ also there was a huge hole in the ground next to where I was sitting and I was able to watch the road pass by the whole journey and hope and pray that every time we hit a huge bump it wouldn't expand and kill me. 

I hope all is well!! I love and miss you all!!!

 Happy Birthday to Brittan and Aunt Danielle and Uncle Mitch and all those I missed these past two weeks!!! Also congratulations Mikayla!!!!!! your wedding pictures are beautiful!!!! 

Happy birthday Teague this Wednesday!!!! 

I love you all!! 

Love Hermana Speakman

 Threw a surprise birthday party for my birthday in June !

Week 13 (7/6/2015)

Hey everyone! 

This week was changes, I am now in a new area, Yukyry! Pronounced (jew-coo-rue) Its awesome!

 It is a lot different than Pedro Juan, a lot less wealthy and more country. I love it. Its how I imagined Paraguay to be. I have a new companion from Peru, her name is Hermana Diaz. 

In this area they speak a lot more Guarani.... which I don't speak haha but it'll help me learn, hopefully!

 We visited a family that is less active and their daughter showed me around her yard, and introduced me to every plant and the clothes that were hanging to dry.... and I understood none of it. She only spoke in Guarani! haha it was crazy I just said a lot of "mhm!" and "en serio!?".  

This area is a lot bigger we have to take collectivos everyday which are buses, that could blow up at any second, to visit the people. Its a new experience! Humbling and great. 

I hope everyone is doing well! 

Happy Birthday Braidee and Gordon!!! and happy late 4th of July!! 

Miss you all!

 Thank you for your love, support and prayers! 

Hermana Speakman

week 12 (6/28/2015)

Hello everyone! 

This week is time for changes,  tomorrow I will find out if I'm going to a new area or staying here and who my new companion will be. Its crazy to think that its time for that already, seems like just yesterday I got to Paraguay! 

This week I had the opportunity to learn a lesson about the power of the Book of Mormon. Seems like every month I forget and have to be reminded. But this week was hard. One of our investigators who is amazing, named Estefani changed her mind on baptism, but the hardest part was that she started hiding from us. We got pretty discouraged, about all of it. I had this negative feeling that I couldn't get rid of and I was praying and praying for help. Then one day after praying I looked at the table and my Ensign was open to a talk from General Conference, and the talk was about what to do if you feel discouraged, if you feel like you're not good enough if you feel like your faith is weakening. The answer was read the Book of Mormon, start to read and read every single day and never stop this habit of reading. 

So I opened my Book of Mormon and I started to read, and the feeling left. It left me completely. I didn't feel this weight in my heart, it was amazing and I couldn't believe it. But it was a testament to me that our leaders really do receive inspiration from the Lord, and also  that the Book of Mormon, has power! The Book of Mormon is from God and it is a great gift and privilege to have it!!!

 I'm so grateful for the Gospel in my life, for my parents and grandparents and great grandparents etc. who stayed strong in the faith and were able to pass on the privilege of knowing the gospel. If you ever doubt, all you need to do is open the book and read, and pray with all your heart. The Lord will respond. The Book of Mormon is key to know if this really is the Restored Church of Christ on this Earth!

 I challenge everyone to try it, to take a leap of faith. 

Love you all!!! Just keep Swimming. 

Love, Hermana Speakman 

Happy Birthday Uncle Matt!!! and Storm tomorrow, and Aunt Jenny this Friday!!!!! i hope you all have a great day of celebration!! I Love you all!