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!

week 11 (6/22/2015)

Hello! 

This week has been crazy, please forgive me for not writing last week, I ran out of time!

 I had to leave early to wash the eggs that got smashed on my head for my birthday out my hair... yea I guess that's something they do here haha! But this week has been really good. 

This Thursday we had the opportunity to travel to a city 4 hours away to have a devotional with a member of the Quorum of the 70, Elder Gonzalez. He is from Uruguay and taught us a lot of things, one of the greatest lessons that he focused on, well one that really stood out to me was the doctrine to, "Start with the End in mind." This doctrine can really apply to all aspects of our lives not only with us in the mission field. When we start a job we should always think about how our actions are affecting the final product, the same applies for us in the mission field. We should start with the goal of helping the people we are teaching prepare to make the life changing covenants in the Temple that can make their family a family not only in this life but in the life to come as well. 

Today, we had to travel to Asuncion to do some paperwork for my companion, and this lesson of the importance of the work in the temples was really impressed into our brains. We arrived at 5am at the church, and the building was open because their was a family preparing the funeral for their father. Their strength was amazing, you could see the hurt in their eyes and feel their pain but also their testimonies and their knowledge and faith that thanks to the ordinances their parents made in the temple, they will return to see him again after this life. They asked us to sing in the service a few hymns, and the spirit was amazing it touched the hearts of all those there. I am so grateful for this gospel for the hope and the joy that it brings to my life and the lives of so many others. This life is not easy, and never will be but with The Lord and his teachings, the burden is a little ligther and we have help to make it through. 

Prayer is essential! never forget to pray!! There is great power in prayer I know it and I want every single one of you to learn this truth personally as well. 

I love you all and I hope you have a great week full of joy and safety! 

Happy Late Fathers day to all the fathers out there and to my Father especially!! I love you and I am grateful for your example to me. 

Love you all! 

Love, hermana speakman 

ps (the picture is of me and my companions from the ccm, at the devotional with elder gonzalez, we were able to almost all meet up again for the first time it was a great 

blessing!!) 

Week 9 (6/8/2015)

Well, I made it another week! :) 

This week has been crazy. 

Its never fun getting rejected, especially after a lot of time dedicated to a person and this week we received a lot of rejection. But there's no time to feel sorrow for yourself, well like 15 minutes but then its time to start working again! And that's the only way to feel better.  That and spending time with the amazing people here. They are amazing and frustrating all at the same time haha 

This week, the greatest thing ever happened, I just want everyone to know, THE ROOSTER IS DEAD!!!!!! not sure if I wrote about this horrible creature in my group emails, but our neighbors had a rooster that was the worst, and it finally died and I wanted to cry with joy, luckily I was sick the day it happened or I might have been tempted to do a happy dance in front of its owners hahaha.  

We have been trying to help an Hermano from the ward quit drinking and start coming back to church, its been a long process with him but he is slowly coming around, this week he said my companion and I are Diablitas (Little devils) Because we always come right when he wants to drink and say no no no hahaha.  I think hes a little confused about what devils do ;) We were also talking about the different churches with him and his family, and he told a story about when his family was catholic and one day he went to the church and a drunk came up to him and grabbed his head very strongly to try to give him a blessing, the hermano said that he (in a tone like he was teasing a child) smacked his hand away and said  uh uh, no no  voy a doy la cha cha! Which basically means no no, I'm going to spank you hahaha 

Anyway, I hope everyone is well! I love you all and  I am grateful for all that you do! Don't forget to pray, it really makes all the difference!  I know that our Father in heaven wants to hear from every single one of us  and its a great blessing that we have, to be able to pray and be heard! 

Happy Birthday Uncle  Brian!!! Hope you have a great day!! 

Love hermana Speakman

week 8 (6/1/2015)

Hello everyone! 

I'm still alive over here!

Its been quite chilly the past few days which is the strangest thing on earth, well at least for me it is, cause I was told Paraguay is hotter than hot , but this weather has been an awesome change!! However, its hard because they Paraguayans don't like to open their doors during this weather. 

We had Zone conference this week and it was really really good! It was nice to be surrounded by other missionaries and learn how to teach better and learn more about the gospel personally. 

Yesterday, we were able to teach a family that wasn't able to attend church this Sunday, and as we were talking with them we talked about a talk that was given in Sacrament meeting about agency, and how its the gift to make our choices but not to choose the consequences. We ended up talking about how satan works so hard when we are doing good to try to get us to fall because we are irritating him and his work, and its true I felt like the lesson was for me personally because this week has been rough with our investigators and satan has been working hard on them. But we need to push through with all our strength and with God on our side we will win. 

I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here and I'm so grateful for all of you, I love all of you and I'm so grateful for this gospel and for the knowledge that it gives us that this life isn't the end and that after, all this we can live with our families again! 

I hope everyone has a great week!!! Stay strong, just keep swimming :) and never forget to pray!!!!!

Hermana Speakman