This week we started P90X! RETURN WITH MUSCLES!!!!!! (this is me modeling my tanlines)

My shoes ( pictures of their party week BURNING to come next week)

p.s. cool tan lines... no my feet are not dirty

LINARES and VALENZUELA stay together another change

BAPTISM of Analia Franco!

She is SO awesome and is sharing the Gospel with EVERYONE now. She takes her Book of Mormon and Bible to school and teaches her friends. She invited her realatives to sit with us during meetings. She LOVES the 

Gospel and I LOVE her.

We flew kites that said Mormon.Org

I am the R in .Org

In Mexico these are called "Ears" 

and in Colombia "Hearts"

Um this week was pretty horrible, but SO horrible that it was great. 

Like... it's gotten to the point that things are so bad they just make me laugh. Not so bad like super negativo, but for example it is hot as Satan´s armpits here (the MINIMUM is 105 F) and we don´t have AC and for the first half of the week we didn´t even have fans because ours stopped working. SO on Wednesday my District Leader brought us a fan!!!! 

We were so agradecida(thankful) and that night the power went out....PUCHA! 

.... in order to be able to sleep at all , I shower IN my pajamas and 

acostarme(lay down to sleep) soaking wet. LIVING IN LUXURY.We have NOT been sleeping well... basically we haven't been sleeping at all. I think that's why things are so great. 

I'm so tired I'm delusional! 

Regardless of any "Rain" on my parade I like to keep it positive. I have been making up songs and dances nonstop to keep the mood. I just give the people what they want, ya know?

Also I made banana bread and pie this week. I am Betty Crocker.

The work is going on. On harder days, it´s getting easier to just press on. The "Never Give Up" bracelet was a great idea, it gives me a lot of animo for gray days

And on better days... I am happy too. (DUH!)

I am getting better at living where my feet are, though I can honestly say I miss you all with every fiber of my bean (being) still.

I like what I get to teach people about the Savior and I like what He teaches me about myself.

I don´t like the sun so much lately... and I still don´t love Pasta, but WE CANT STOP AND WE WONT STOP!

XOXO

Hermana Valenzuela CYRUS

Im painting the Bogota Temple on Hna Linares' pencil box (there´s nothing else to do... cant sleep!)

This is me at 3 AM after a soak run to the shower

I made pie

Kewties

Ohhhhhh we´re half-way there

oooooooooooooOOOhhhhhh LIVING on a prayer!

(Today I have 9 months in Paraguay!)

We DO NOT feel pretty, oh so pretty, We DO NOT feel pretty or witty or gay and we pitty and girl who looks like us This day

(when its hot we wear these sun hats and... style really just goes out the window) 

Its 56 Degrees C (thats 132 F).... and Humidity is like 90 percent.

a ton of people DIED last summer becase of the heat. Literally.

Asuncion was ranked THE Hottest city in the world and they did like a Global Warming Awareness experiment where they fired and egg in real time just on the streets.

 Seriously.... ALL I said when I put in my papers was "I just don´t want to go where it´s really hot)

P.s. Why am I wearing such a long skirt then? All my clothes are dirty

So apparently (I didnt know) I act really weird about my suitcase and never open them all the way and move them from room to room..This made HNA Linares always wondered why... WHAT treasures could be in there?!. Well the other day I opened them and she just bursted out laughing because it was just a pack on gum and Tajin chili powder. 

The mysteries of Hermana Valenzuela Revealed.

Where were we?

Oh yes, Puzzles:

Once you´ve found the "easier pieces" of the puzzle, the farm house & the flowers and bushes, you are left with the harder part. The Sky! Every pieve is the same: Baby blue and they all have 2 ´arms´ and one hole and so there is no way in telling which is where! This is where Patience is a virture.........

The Picture is Clearer than is ever has been and closest to being complete!

Never give up! because the other option is Quit. Quitting does not mean leaving your puzzle (testimony) where it is.... if you´re not working to go UP hill... pretty soon you start rolling down.

Because you became impatient with the sky you start to take apart your puzzle and put it away! first you take apart sky pieces... then the outline edges and then pretty soon the "easiest" and simplest parts of your testimony, the flowers and bushes.... scripture study and church attendance... until you reach THE most OBVIOUS sure parts of your testimony... the BIG RED BARN in the middle. When you fit those together there was NO doubt. You KNEW it was right: "God is my loving Heavenly Father and He hears and answers my prayers".

You take that apart.

You put your puzzle away....

You start thinking "puzzles are for Losers"

My puzzle is Extra hard and it´s been forever since I even tried and the box is dusty now... lets just act like I never did or had a Puzzle.

And maybe every once in a while you pull out the box and go directly back to the sky pieces but since you still can´t quite figure them out you get discoraged or even angry again and put your puzzle aside once more.

You see what I meant about the bomb that self-destructs. Satan didnñt just slowly destroy your Testomony, but he´s knocked you down and is KEEPING you down with this trick.

PLEASE please, DO NOT fall of it!

but,

If by chance you already have, here is my suggestion and the beauty of the repentace process the atonement makes possible:

Dust off your Puzzle Box and, as always, (re)start with the outline

¿What is God´s Plan for me? ¿What are the promised blessings? Happy (not perfect, but happy) FAMILIES and Eternal ones at that! That is what I call JOY!

Meditate on WHY would you try your puzzle again. Realize it´s possible and worth it.

Once you have your outline once more, you know what the Church is centered around: Christ and how His atonement is essential and blesses families. Think about your family.

Do you love them?

Is it worth it to keep going on your puzzle if finishing it meant having them FOREVER?

Now that you have your outline and motivation, DON´T go straint back for the sky pieces. They will discorage you to stop before you´ve started again! Put the basics back it place and make the "sky mystery" easier on yourself with the help of a firm foundation. If not all your pieces will get mixed up and it´ll be a hot mess I assure you. 

May I suggest a starting point. It is an OBVIOUS big RED FARM HOUSE right in the Center of your whole puzzle.

God is your loving Heavenly Father. He hears and answers your prayers. He loves you.

Start there.

Start praying. Re-connect what you once knew.

After you confirm the above listed facts, then go with the flowers and bushes (scripture study and church attendance)... then move on the other things... piket fences... cows... etc.

It is hard, for everyone, it is hard. It´s really hard for me. I see the picture on my box ALL the time and i get so frusterated that my puzzle isn´t complete yet!

But this won´t make me quit.

My Puzzle.... my Testimony, is the most important Task in my life, The picture it presents changes how I see Everything, but it´s still hard. 

Satan does not want me to feel God´s love. Satan does not want me to have a testimony. So He attacks testimonies, to keep them from being planted or to kill what is growing.

But I know His tools and will not give up. The Grand Gardener is on my side and wants me to make it back to Him. 

He sent me His son to show me what to do to keep assembling my puzzle. He sends me prophets and leaders to keep my SPIRIT up (spiritual puzzle Cheerleaders?).

And best of all he sent me my Family. 

"God gave us families, to help us to be what he wants us to be, This is how he shows his love, For the Family is of God"

So be brave my fellow Puzzlers

Puzzle On! (Or Puzzle once more for Restarters)

Never give up, Never surrender.

Everything will be alright!

As for my week, same old.... it´s hot and we talk to people about Jesus and His Gospel. I´ve been in Paraguay 9 months today and... it only going to get hotter.

XOXO

Hermana Valenzuela

My Journal Entry from October 5th 2014: Where there are these [boxy things] those are my thoughts while typing but are not found in the journal entry 

 *Disclaimer.... I did change some words to the original entry because I usually write and night and so I am tired and things don´t always make sense* 

 I LOVED general conference. Yesterday`s sessions were inspired and just what the doctor ordered. I am aprehensive because I always fear my own weakness in forgetting. I forget constantly and almost immediately, though luckily, never FULLY the strong witness of the Spirit and instruction I recieved.  [I bet that´s why the Angel Moroni appeared THREE times IN A ROW to Joseph. like.... HEY this is REAL and it´s IMPORTANTE!... I want to go to Conference 3 times in a Row] At least I write it down to try to help me remember. 

[REMEBER REMEMBER when we were in The Irrrrreland] 

Now don´t get me wrong, its not that one day I see a miracle and the next I am denying Christ or anything. It´s more, in one moment I am so profoundly SURE of my testimony or a certain aspect of it and then in the next moment it´s fuzzier and then doubts and confusion return. I don´t know if that`s normal. I DO realize however that, although doubts return, my testimony is always a dash stronger. Like, I can´t CONSTANTLY feel the TOP 10 BURNING of the spirit , but I can recall it with more ease the stronger and more frequently that I experience it. Basically, as I search to strengthen my faith, I recieve answers, but piece by piece.

It´s like I`m doing Puzzle [how ver fitting for Conference weekend as my Family always assembles a Puzzle whilst they gather to hear the sessions] When the Spirit is STRONG and testifying, that is when I am looking at the Picture on the Box [of the puzzle], but then I have to set the box down and fit the piece in where it belongs in my life. I hope that it is secure and the right piece in the right place. Then I search for the next piece to work on. Of course I remeber the general idea of the picture of the puzzle, but it is always clearer and easiest when I am looking at the Picture on the Box [feeling the confirmation of the Spirit] I KNOW some things and I Believe others, working to convert my beliefs into spiritual knowledge. Gaining a testimony and retaining a testimony are real spiritual struggles. It is not 1 2 3 TESTIMONY!!! It is a Puzzle [or a seed like Alma said (Alma 32). Whatever I am going with my metaphor of Puzzle] Piece by piece.Prayer by Prayer. Day by day and covenant made by covenant kept. That is how it works. You have to want it. You have to Actively search to strengthen it and you have to KEEP searching and strengthening it until it ALL fits together. [until you know EVERYTHING... which probably won´t be in this life... but I know some people who are close... DAD.... not close to dying.. close to knowing everything. hahahah Im funny] 

How do you know when a puzzle piece fits?

 By trying it in the space. [and then putting and fitting in the rest.. if it never screws up the groove... it FITS] How do you know if the promised blessings from keeping

 certain commandments will be fulfilled? 

By keeping those commandments in your life. I KNOW some things to be absolutely True and hence BELIEVE that others are because they naturally follow. [ it´s like when you have a little cluster fit together in your Puzzle... but it´s an Island not QUITE connected to the main picture... but you know it goes there even though you haven´t found EVERYTHING yet] I will continue to act on my beliefs until they are disproved or they become knowledge. My knowledge is a result of fighting for my faith. [I let faith win and don´t let questiongs become doubts that suffocate priviously gained knowledge] It is not easy. Satan does NOT want us to know God´s plan. Satan does NOT want us to feel of God´s [emense] love for us. Satan does NOT want us to have any sort of Testimony. Satan´s tools to fight testimonies are; Doubts, Undeserved feelings of Guilt for Honest Questions, Distractions, Discouragement and Impatience to the end of quiting. Doubts come in the form of thoughts that "God might not or WILL not answer" or "I might just be talking to myself when I pray" [The first and most pure leap of faith is made when we communicate to our creator, whom we have not seen in this relm, believing He is listening] Guilt for honest questions usually come after you have planted your seed of faith and it begins to grow. This is why Satan tries to tell you your faith isn´t ENOUGH faith because it is not yet a TREE. His goal it to get you to disattend or even pluck your twig so that it never becomes a thick, tall TREE!

 Some examples are " I know that the book of Mormon is True, but still have some questions about Joseph Smith" [Thats your honest question or your disconnected Island cluster in your Puzzle.] after a thought similar to that Satan will say to your heart " I can´t believe you´re doubting Joseph! I guess that means your DONT really know the Book of Mormon is True!" Do not fall for this! Oce you have found and securely fit a piece in your puzzle, he tries to get you to doubt the pieces you´ve fit in whilst searching for the next to comeplete the picture. In your quest to answer your questions , don´t loose spiritual ground you have already won! QUESTIONS bring answers. Joseph´s question brought forth the restauration of Christ´s Church and the plenitud of the Gospel back to the Earth. QUESTIONS are good! Donñt let Satan discredit answers you´ve already discovered just beause new questions have come up. 

Do not feel guilty for wanting to know truths! [There ain´t no Shame in spiritual Hunger!.. Get your feel to eat, but always keep that Hunger] The nest attack is distractions. That ol´ serpant, father of all Lies, will tell us: "you already know the Book of Mormon is tru, that´s good enough, Don´t worry about your other questions" He does this because God is infinitely more poweful than he and so if he can´t stop answers from coming to those who ask he will try to get them to stop asking, become distracted and let your fire of a testimony burn out. Do not fall for that. once your have a fire burning, it takes constant fuel to keep it from going out. Do not leave the flame of your testimony unattended and expect it to eternally glow. Don´t get distracted by the s`more table. your Testimony of your Father in Heaven and His plan for you is the most precious aspect of your life. FIGHT to obtain it, then FIGHT to RETAIN it. 

Lucifer also uses discouragement. This trick is simple and one of his favorites because he can plant the bomb and leave us unattended while we "self"destruct! slowly blowing to bits Every piece we´ve fit into our testimony puzzle. Discouragment and impatience with the end of quittng go hand in hand. Once you have found the easier pieces of the puzzle, the farm house and the flowers and the bushes, you are left with the harder part, THE SKY! Every piece looks the same and is the same color. This is harder and takes more time. This is why patience is a required virtue for testimony building, growing and retaining. This is where trying pieces, almost blindly and routinely is the only option. You´ll wish the answers were are obvious and came as quickly as they did during the farm house part. youll wish that pice fitting came rapidly... but its just routine... blue sky... NOTHING! 

You begin to wonder if all the pieces are THERE! Did Mom buy this at a Yardsale? Did Dagnee eat a piece? And suddenly you become so impatient you start thinking maybe you should just pack it away and thy again next conference. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS! the picture is closer to being complete than it ever was before! So you dont have the WHOLE sky... but you know what it is a picture OF perfectly! you can see the picture of what God wants for you, who HE is, who YOU are! and an outline of how to achieve it! Yeah some of the sky is still missing, but you still have time! and you have family members to ask for help! "clean Cup" chair change! new perspective and opinions. keep fitting your puzzle together. Never give up. Because the other option is Quit. And Quitting is not just leaving the puzzle (your testimony) as it. You Know mom wont let that table sit out forever, hahaha Pretty soon you´ll have to clean up. You were SO CLOSE! but if your arent working on it you cant just leave ut as is.... You start taking it apart.... the sky.... then the outline...then pretty soon the "easiest" and simplest and most OBVIOUS parts come apart too. The most BASICS of your testimony. God is my loving heavenly Father. He hears and answers my prayers, He loves me. I am a child of God! You take that apart. You stop praying. You stop progress..Then you lose progress youve already made....pretty soon You box up your puzzle and put in on the self to get dusty and then oe day you find yourself thinking "Puzzles are for Losers" and it doesnt matter how happy Dad and Mom are doing their puzzle. Puzzles are for losers. 

They´re maybe faking to be that happy. You are NOT getting your puzzle out again. Maybe you think "my puzzle is Harder than Dads and I CANT DO IT! and no one is going ot help me!.... and puzzles are for losers!" I will never find the sky pieces. I am just going to act like I never had a puzzle at all. " Thats where I will leave you all today because I am out of time... but... I have tips on Puzzle RE-starts for next week. I love you all and I wis you luck on your Puzzle piece of the week. 

NEVER give up! Never Surrender!

ROMINA got her mission call and because she had been serving as a misionera Local she was in town and not in the jungle and I got to see her! SHES GOING TO URAGUAY! woot woot!

ROMINA!!!!!

This is how excited I was for no bakes... before i knew they were moldy

Just being an Indian

No bakes don't travel well...but the one on top didnt have THAT much mold and I bit it anyway... which was a bad choice. 

BUT issssok in the end its good because I will be skinny hahahaha

In other news the "maple flavoring" mom sent was a REALLY good idea because Ive become an expert at making mapeoat or oatmaple cookies.... My own invention made when Hermana Linares is sad and asks me for cookies and i just make up a recipie and it turned out great like OATMEAL CUPS (aunistee).

We had an interview by candelight.

Making the dress with Noelia

Noelia, Pamela, Andrea and Ali doing decor

Vivi and her Nails

The cousin feeding us Ice cream (I think his name is Danny)

Danny and his Ice cream

Mama cooking..... and Danny with his Ice Cream

Me doing the Brides hair.... She insisted I put Gel on every curl before curling it. 

Hermana Linares doing makeup (Except the Eyeliner which I did because I´m 2nd only to Zo Zo in eyeliner skills )

Vivi when she FIRST saw herself! :)

LOOK AT THEM! LOOK AT THEM!!!!!!!! 

The LOVECHILD... jk... but yeah their son (he´s a STINKER... like a Pill not that he smells hahaha)

The Groom

CAKE

The cutest picture EVER of Vivi just kissing Anibal´s head. This was at the end of the night and they didnt even know I was taking it.... oh love....

A Kiss from Vivi

This is me at the end of the night.... I look like a wedding planner (I am J-lo)

Today was the best week!

(hahahahaha I just realized I wrote "today" was the best "WEEK"... 

time is weird, but I´m gonna leave that because it´s the realest way to state how time feels here in South America: Weeks are Days, Months are Weeks and Days are YEARS!)

 And "tomorrow" (this week) is going to be even better! 

I don´t really know where to START, but it ENDS with the WEDDING I´ve been stressing over for the past month. 

Viviani Arevalos is a 19 year old Mother of 3 year old Tobias. She has been with Anibal (the 21 year old Papa) since they were 7 years old.  She´s gone to all the curches (JW´s, Catholics, Iglesia de Belen, ones where they wear Headcovers, Pentocostal... Everything) However enjoyable some parts of each of these sects were, she always felt something missing. One day she saw two "mormon" missionaries go to the house of her neighbor (who is like her distanct cousin twice removed or something) After they left, She (Viviani) went to the cousin´s house and asked for their number. She called them and asked if they could visit her. 

 (This was Hermana Bautista and her comp before me, Hermana Ballon) When I came into the picture (with Hermana Bautista), Viviani had come to church once and really liked it, was reading the Book of Mormon and progressing right up until the Big Brick Wall of the LAW of Chastity (living with a member of the opposite sex to whom you are not leagally wed is a No-No) 

Hermana Bautista informed me that her partner, Anibal, was VERY shy and was more comfortable speaking Guarani. He also worked a night security job so he slept during the day and never wanted to listen to us. We had ups and downs and Vivi came to church a couple more times. She wanted to get baptised. We explained she could leave Anibal or marry him.  Their relationship had strayed a bit. He was always tired, never attentive, and she felt he was a stranger who lived in her house and during the day he slept in her bed. On the other hand, She still loved him very much and said she couldn´t picture life with anyone else.  She didn´t know what to do. 

We taught her that fasting with purpose and faith is a powerful way to amplify our prayers. She said she´d do it and we set an appointment to return and see how it went. When we arrived we found out she wasn´t there because her mom had fallen ill and she went to visit her.  BUT there was Anibal, awake and alone (so no pressure for forced answers). I made some awkward jokes in Guarani. then We asked him what he wanted in life... "I want to marry Viviani and be a good Dad for Tobias" 

HALLELUAH!! Seriously. 

Then the insanity commenced. He started listening to us, came to church and the WEDDING PLANS began! As they kept their commitments blessings began to be POURED out along the way including; all of the sudden he got a new job offer (they´re still working out the final details but pray that soon he can have a job where he has more family time) She found a BUNCH of money just laying in an empty field one day with NO one around. His cousin GIFTED him a CAR! [IM NOT KIDDING!] And there was a new spark between them. She said he began texting her after he came to church on Sunday saying things like "Idk how its possible but I love you more and more every day and I can´t wait to marry you". He was no longer a Work-a-holic zombie stranger. There was Love at home! We had a scare when they decided they needed more money to have a wedding so Viviani was going to get a job working Monday to Monday and stop going to church for a while and they could get married within two to three Months! (Especially because their families live far... His parents don´t like her, Her mom felt a little sad that she doesn't want to be Catholic... basically Not too much family support was on it´s way) 

So she felt she really needed a job and the only jobs availible require you to work Sundays. NO! We don´t want to stop keeping one commantment (Dia de Reposo) to be able to complete with another (ley de castidad) All of them. You should keep all of them! We promised we would help and that the ward was very willing to do everything. This was  a HUGE bite of WAY more than we could chew on our own. 

 Noelia Solis (a Return Missionary who came home 3 weeks earlier from Peru) became a Miracle in human form. SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Together we organized the service project to clean up their yard and get it "wedding Ready" (with the Young Single Adults as the helping hands) Noelia bought fabric, beads, sparklies etc and in TWO DAYS made the most beautiful perfect dress for Vivi. We borrowed pants from the Elders, a shirt from Joel (Noelia´s Brother), A Suit coat from Noelia´s Dad to dress the Groom. We borrowed and gathered and put up all the Decor. We painted nails and did hair "practices" (this was my job so it´s important) We went door to door  to the members and explained "we´re having a wedding and we need a cake, can you donate A:flour B:eggs C:butter or D:sugar etc....  Hermana Gimmenez offered to make the cake. (THANK YOU) The Primary President offered to be our cake decorator (THANK YOU HERMANA SUARES) We called the judge. We assigned the witnesses and told them what they needed to bring.

 EVERYTHING! I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT ELSE BUT SERIOUSLY EVERYTHING WAS CRAZY AND I WAS GOING LOCA AND BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 

Every hour every second was plan. We would have a lesson at one place and then we would run to Hermana Gimmenez house to get the cake and contact people on the way to 

Hermana Suares house to drop off the cake and we can plan the week tonight and another lesson on the way home and blah blah CRAZY! 

THEN - Our other investigator, Marcos Sanchez (16 years old), called and said "I want to get baptized Tomorrow (the day of the wedding!) It was CRAZY! We planned an interview and a baptism and we were seriously running around like chickens without heads.

 Our District leader didn't have the keys to the church so we had to go to a members house for the interview. The electricity was out. The interveiw was by candle light!

 In the end, his bastism is going to be THIS coming Saturday, but still worth noting that we had a CRAZY Friday and I barely slept, not because I wasn´t DEAD tired, but because the WEDDING WAS THE NEXT DAY! 

We woke up early and went and did more cleaning and decorating and taught lessons to Vivianis relatives in between (they just sat and drank Terrere while we all worked, WHATEVER). But her Mom (who is actually her Grandma) ended up coming!...She even did work and cooked a bunch and wasn't mad anymore that Viviani was not Catholic.
Viviani´s cousin, who is very flamboiant, at one point blasted Shakira and he did a belly dance and it was very memorable and HAS to be noted because it was so crazy and Hermana L and I didn´t know what to do but we almost died. Also He went around all day with ice cream in a bowl and fed all of us spoonfuls... so... I guess you could say he helped. 

Then we went to Noelias house to get the bride ready and her ride was supposed to come at 6. We were ready at 6 The bride looked BEAUTIFUL and Loved her hair (me), dress (noelia) and makeup(Hermana Linares) The judge was at the house around 6 but the ride was no where to be found... THE GROOM WAS AT THE SUPERMARKET. The judge got mad and threatend to leave.  The bride got  nervous. I got nervous. 6:30-  I was just sitting on a chair closing my eyes and trying not to explode from the inside out. More phone calls from people at the wedding. "The judge is pissed" "I KNOW" deep breathes. 3 very memorable prayers Noelia RE-decorated the cake, made a tie for Tobias and a bow for the car (in like 5 seconds ... really... it was crazy) 6:35 all the sudden Noelia was showered and dressed and adding yet MORE to the cake and making a flower arrangement. Idk whats happening. 

HONK HONK THE RIDE WAS THERE! 

We grabbed the cake. Hermana L started filming the insanity. We got in the car (our Ward mission leader was driving, not the groom) The car began to malfunction and an alarm went off. While Hermano Dominguez and Vivi fixed the alarm Noelia JUMPED out of the car and all the sudden the car had a Giant BOW on it and streamers on the side and stufff... idk ... CRAZY! The honking stopped. Noelia was back in her seatbelt and we were on our way. We arrived and Hermano Dominguez parked in the wrong spot. The women in the car were like " NO NOT HERE OVER THERE BLAHHHHHH " Crazy! He backed up and parked in "the right spot" according to all of us locas! He opened the door for the bride. She walked down the Isle.  Noelia disappeared and reappeared with Tobias in a shirt and tie that... I HAVE NO IDEA where she got them from!!!! 

Viviani and Anibal got married. 

I took pictures. Hermana Bautista and Hermana SANTOS!!!!! (they are companions now! CRAZY) were there. Then they left super fast. Noelia was babysitting and playing with all the kids! The couple shared their first kiss, then cake, then dance.  Awwwww cute.... Then all the sudden Noelia is in the kitchen making plates of food for everyone and doing everything! Hermano Dominguez is cooking the Pork. Then we had to leave and we said "see you tomorrow" to Vivi. She was like... Maybe. What? no- no nonononoonononono NO WHAT DO YOU MEAN MAYBE? well there is alot of cleaning up to do and maybe well just come Next Sunday.

  I told Miguel and Noelia that Vivi was disanimado to come to church tomorrow. Then We gathered all the borrowed stuff (suit, plates, the little cake toppers etc) and left... because we´re missionaries, We have rules and bedtimes! We got to church. They didn´t come the first hour.  We called. Vivi said that Anibal was too tired. He had gone to work after the wedding and was DEAD asleep. 

(Anibal faltaba 1 asistencia) She said it was "impossible", They weren't coming. 

 Hermana Linares and I found an empty classroom and prayed for a miracle. We went to our next class.  Then, BOOM, We see Noelia´s giant smiley face waving at us through the little windows the church door´s have. She was motioning us to "come here" She said she had stayed and cleaned EVERYTHING the night before. She took down ALL the decor. She washed ALL the Dishes. She put up all the chairs (with the help of the YSA, but I've seen her work. I KNOW she did MORE... WAY MORE than expected) She said with a smile "I did it so they wouldnt feel like there was too much to do in the morning and could come today!... where are they?" We told her. "Well lets go get them then" We prayed again and went to get them (Noelia´s Dad driving) 

They got dressed and... 

CAME! THEY CAME! THEY WERE HAPPY AND IN LOVE AND THEY CAME. 

They just needed a little push. Everyone congratulated them on their marriage. Marcos shook their hands and said "We are all going to get baptised on Saturday!" And he is right We´re going to have 3 baptisms on Saturday- Marcos Sanchez, Viviani Arevalos de Alvarez, and  Anibal Alvarez. 

I tried to put in a lot of details so that the miracles were as clear to the reader as they were to me.  I have NO idea HOW everything worked out. Seriously.... but I know it was by the hand of God .... 

& Noelia! hahahahhahaa. 

I am so happy! ALSO MARIA JOSE gets back from her vacation this week! So we can visit her TOMORROW! The ward finally took the sacrament to Hermana Mensia! Samu is going to baptize Marcos!!! AND I got a package from home this week. 

 God bless us, Every one!

 XOXO Lib