We made cookies for the families that give us lunch

I made a paper version of the CASINO star.... because its a christmas MUST

Rivalry snowflakes

We made Christmas Cookies.... I made the Cyclops because I feel like Rudolph takes a lot of heat for being the only "freak" reindeer

I made German Pancakes for Christmas Breakfast (dutch babies for Pheebs)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Cuando Misioneros quieren una foto del Grupo

Awkward Famliy Photo: Missionary Style

I was taking pictures of everyone and... Elder Ruiz saw me

Christmas Secret Santa steal presents game

Christmas with the hooligans with black tags

MERRY CHRISTMAS

OUR ZONE GOT TOGETHER FOR SOME CHRISTMAS BAYBLADES AND PINGPONG (MY ZONE)

Yeah... The shoes came off and I DUELED with Elder Mejia from Ecuador... Just like the 3 wise men in ancient times hahaha Merry Christmas

This year Santa left my presents in this Postage Box! HOLLA!

It was a roller coaster of emotions

In all honesty.... my candy is almost gone already.... but it was christmas... and its what the forefathers would have wanted

Opening Moms special present!!!

Gingerbread (Cardboard) Houses 

We played with the fireworks and explosive that southern south americans lose their hands to every year! YAY CHRISTMAS 

RIVALRY SNOWFLAKES GO UTES 

(.....I should have never taught her how to make this! jk. hahaha)

This week is will be Christmas. I have been focusing this Chritmas season on the Dadiva that God The Father sent us. It was a small boy, born in humble circumstances, yet His life is of Catral importance to the Human Race. 

But the birth and death of the Savior was NOT the end of His miracles, wonders or plans to help us.

This week The Savior of the world and Atoner of mine and your sins guided me through His Holy Spirit to read His very testimony and promise that Joseph Smith Jun. was His prophet chosen to restore truth and light and blessings for me and all of the earth. Jesus Christ testifies that Joseph Smith Jun. did only what He, Christ Himself, mandated in D&C Section 20. 

The book that that unschooled, faithful and humble boy brought forth, suffered persecutions for testifying of and eventually died defending is true. I know it. I testify of it. 

The Book of Mormon testifies that Jesus is the Christ. Reading it causes faith in the Lord to grow, heals the sorrows of the souls and secures the truths restored and clearly taught in the Church that is based upon it and the fact that it came forth by the hand of the true and living God of the world. 

Jesus Christ also testifies that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His and is the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, and that He, the Lord, is well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually (D&C 1:30)

Have faith in His and The Father´s unconditional love for us. Accept their invitations given throughout the history of the Earth to seek and find, knock and have it opened unto you. 

I testify that the Spirit will bear record to your heart. I implore you to faitfully act upon the impressions and answers you recieve from the Holy Ghost. I promise that as you do, God will pour out all of His priceless blessings upon you and your family. I have seen it in my life. I praise God for all He has blesses me with. I love Him for restoring His gospel and all the blessing that came with it for me now and forever. He loves me. He loves you. He asks only for your faith so that he may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act (Isaiah 28:21). The act of selflessly loving and giving is indeed strange in this fallen world, but in the eternities it is glorious. Thanks to this act, Thanks to His plan, Thanks to His Atonement, I and my family can be exhalted on high eternally on the condition of repentance and endurance until the end. This is His work and His glory.  

We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

He showed His love in times of our fathers. He shows His love now.

He is the same forever. He has loved us since forever and continues to love us now. 

I love my God.

This is why I am so far away from you all. 

I share this testimony and invitation to recieve this same witness from the Spirit as I have, promising you that it is the only way to everlasting happiness and peace, in the name of my Lord and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ,

Amen.

Hermana Linares is HOME!

We made Christmas cards!

We are awkward... but thats cool

We held a surprise party for the birthday of our investigator. then we had like a testimony meeting of how each member came to know the church was true. it was AWESOME.... then she didnt come to church the naxt day and now she wont answer her phone. please pray for Mirtha

I painted this for the primary program so here it is hung up at church

We painted this for the Primary Program

Thanks for the Package Grandma!!!! I opened all but the Christmas portion:) 

at the cyber we always go to , Peter, the owner, made HNA Linares a sign.... Cute

Linares and Valenzuela outside of their beautiful Orange house together for the last time

We would get out of the car. WE DIDNT WANT CHANGES!!!!

But its cool cause the next saturday we went to the temple with Viviani Anibal Analia and Marcos

Viviani and Anibal (from "THE BODA")

And of course we love Marcos :) 

It was the last time Hna Linares would see Familia Alvarez :(

We really love them

BUT THE BEST PART OF MY WEEK WAS WHEN I GOT A CALL FROM YBY YAU!!! FRANSISCA AND HER HUSBAND LORENZO WERE GOING TO DO BAPTISMS FOR THEIR GREAT AUNTS AND UNCLES AND FAMILIA AGUERO WERE GOING TO BE SEALED! 

I stayed with Fransisca,Lorenzo, Airton and Dahiani while the sealing took place! OH how happy I was to see my YbyYau-anites again! and all the more in the House of the Lord!!!! Seriosuly... the best day EVER!!! I LOVE YBY YAU!

We also Love the Samaniego Family (here is Sara and Hna Samaniego)

This is Hermana Farods and My Christmas Card... it was her idea to do the Stinky Srings Pose. I like her. hahahaha We love Pizza

We ate Chinese food.... and weve basically been talking about MULAN since... so thats nice

We went bowling

This is a Lomito Arabe.... its KIND OF like a burrito.... So.... :D YES!!!!!!

Thats also like Garlic Mayo (so good) and HOT SAUCE that Doesnt taste like Vinegar! The Juice is Tutti Frutti and its like a smoothie. This Restrant right outside the Temple, im pretty sure its because if Jesus comes to visit the Temple, thats what He would eat too. Im not even blasphamous... its SO good

Also Hermana Beta was my comp for like 5 seconds... we took a picture with our skirts like this

Alright well... Hermana Linares and I dropped like all of our investigators because they really were not progressing.

We got ready for a new week, our last FULL week together. We went to District meeting.

There were Changes.

Hermana Linares had to go to a new Area with a WEEK and a HALF left of her missing. QUE PUCHA!

We cried and mourned. She is my best friend. I miss her terribly (but I saw her today! YAY! haha we´ll get to that)

My new comp is named Hermana Fardos (first name Lauren: Facebook-stalk away). She is from Cali, but her extened family on her Dad´s side is from Argentina (Buenos Aires, Lujan y Córdoba). She had always been AROUND castellano, but never SPOKE like really... so... She is stayed in the CCM for 6 wees, but she is not like Gringa-tastic with her accent. I like her. We talk about cool stuff and work hard and she is like a natural at teaching. She does crossfit so we have been working out and eating better. She made me this sweet cabage breakfast burrito this morning for breakfast, which was SWEET because we had been fasting and my blood sugar was WAY low and I was like going to pass out, but I woke up and BOOM there was food.... Oh yeah and did I mention she is a Greenie? hahaha Thats right folks, I am training! FELICIDADES to ME for being a Mamá!!!!! Well ACTUALLY I am a Madrastra because She already has half her training with a different Mom, but... whatever. It still counts. 

Our first day was weird because everyone kept calling to verify plans for farewell dinners with Hermana Linares and I had to be like "SE FUE" and it sounds like she ran away basically. Then the next day was like Super hectic because we had a temple history/baptisms visit scheduled for our recent converts, but since Linares wasnt there I had to call ALL the shots, make ALL the plans and make up how to do FAMILYSEARCH.ORG stuff. I did well and played it cool. 

The mission rule is you can go to the temple with the converts you taught IF they do their own names. So Hermana Linares could come. We did divisions and I was back with my LINARES!!!! I love that Colobian so much! EVERYTHING that could go wrong did (lost recommends, names not in the computer yet, husbands going missing right when they should be on their way, cars getting stuck in mud, lights falling off a cars, members complaining because they´d been waiting long... etc) but Analía (the 16 year old who LOVES the gospel and the scriptures) was like "People might have harsh thoughts right now, but if we are patient and have faith, we will all remember this day as a beautiful memory of our first time in the temple"

I love her so much. 

When we were finally in the car and on our way we pulled out our hymn books and praised Heavenly Father from our hearts. It was cool. 

I love the temple.

Then we ate Ice Cream. I like Ice Cream.

It took us forever to get home, but this member (who was a Snake, but its cool cause he helped us) like paied for our bus fare and took us all the way to Luque  and then when we got there we found out it was 20 minutes out of his way. His name is Paul and he served in Brazil. Anyway. We met up with H. Fardos and the comp of H. Linares and waiting for the bus. Well the bus we needed wasnt running anymore so we just got on a different bus and trusted the driver when he was like "I will leave you where you can take a different bus to Mariano". I was like... KINDA scared, because Im a mom so if we die its my fault. But... it was cool (keep in mind its getting LATE). Then when we got off where the bus driver said this redheaded lady (obviously not NATURAL redhead, but whatever thats not important) told us she was going on the same bus to Mariano Too! and that we could follow her. We were literally GUIDED home the whole way. Thanks God! :) He loves me.

The rest of the week was pretty regular. Pray that Mirtha can stop being scared of what her family might think and trust in the Lord. Then ACT on faith... even though its hard. She is supposed to get baptised this Saturday. 

Today we went BOWLING again with Hermana Linares, Hermana Beta, Hemana Fardos and Familia Samanigeo because the Presidente gave us permission since My Linares is leaving next Tuesday. It was so fun! Before we bowled we bought some "chinese" food, something I havent eaten for a LONG time because in china I ate chinese food, not "chinese" food (authentic vs not) and when I came home from china I didnt hit up Panda Express so much (I think I might´ve like once but I cant remember) 

ANYWAY, it wasnt the BEST "chinese" food, but I was so happy. They also had scrabbled eggs with tomatoes which is a typical chinese (authentic) dish. I had some and missed China. I talked to the oriental guy in Chinese a little bit and was so proud of myself. I told him I wanted Ice cream,counted to 10,told him that I love my family, that I was a teacher, that I love Jesus, sang him a song and asked him where he was from (in MADARIN!) :) He was Taiiwanese so he didn´t know the words to the song I sang him but he smiled and said it was very traditional in China. It was weird to talk to a tawaiinese guy in spaniese (Chinese and Spanish mixed). Also while we were in the "city" we heard someone speaking english. We contacted her and her German boyfriend and invited them to watch "EL es la DADIVA". He asked if I knew any German, I told him I loved him in German... because thats all I know. But we could say I contacted people in German, English, Chinese and Spanish today.... AND whilst riding TO bowling Samu and I were speaking in Guarani. I like languages. No matter what went down at the tower of Babel, I am going to try to talk to everyone and tell them what I know. I know that Jesus is the Christ and was send to earth to show us the way home to our Father in Heaven. My goal for December is to get to "know" this fact on a deeper spiritual level. Faith is wonderful because it is never full grown! I am still focusing on faith and it makes my days brighter. 

Faith isn´t easy, but it´s the happiest choice. Life is hard, but the Gospel isn´t. The world is complicated, but God´s plan is simple. Satan has power, but we win in the End!

Pray for me and my hija!

Xoxo Hermana Valenzuela cabeza de Ciruela

This week I woke up one day and felt AWESOME! like ... SUPER AWESOME. I have been struggling with all kinds of tonterias, but keeping the faith and praying constantly. My prayers were answered. I can´t say clearly what was wrong or how it is now better, but I can say that God hears and answers my prayers. I mean I worked for it too. Scripture study, prayer, meditation... It was no "magic pill", but with REAL intent and faith in Christ, anything is possible. And if you show God you are REALLY listening, He really does answer. 

I love my Father in Heaven. He loves me. He wants me to be happy. He sent His son to help show me HOW that happiness can be achieved. By the priesthood power of His Son and his Atonement, that happiness can last forever. 

This week was Thanksgiving.  

Part of my "tonterias" were that I was feeling... strange guilt for how EXTREMELY blessed I am. I see LOTS of faces ever day. Every one is a child of God. Everyone is of infinite worth. I am not more important than any other in the eyes of our Heveanly Father. So why do I have EXTRA, when at times others go without? 

In Ecclesiastes5:8 "The Preacher" says:

 ¶If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there behigher than they.

Which simply put reminded me that I am not the only one who sees these people suffering. They are my friends, but they are His children. And so then I thought, "Why?" but really "WHY" not, "*pity*WHY ME, WHY THEM?"... but actually "Why?"  

Focusing only on the basics of the Gospel Doctines I remembered that we came to earth to be tested. All kinds of different tests and never MORE than each child, whom he has known since before this world (Jeremiah 1:5), can bare...  

We are reminded, when the prophet asked "Why" the saints, if they were following God, had to suffer, that  "all these things shall give (Them) experience, and shall be (their) good.(D&C122:7)

So how can I help? 

Oh, How I would like to give them all the temporal "things" I could... but even then, moth and rust doth corrupt, and ... thieves break through and steal(Matthew 6:19)

"Things" are a blessing and contribute to happiness, I won´t deny it. But "things" are not the "things" that matter most. God wants us to live as richly and happily as we can within our means. Of course all the while remembering where these blessings come from and  staying humble in the most luxurious of circumstances. He wants us to also secure our own wellbeing to be able to then help others as Paul taught in 1 Timothy 6:17-19

I remember learning about the "cycle" of the righteous in the Book of Mormon, They are humble, they seek God, they grow in blessings and riches, they become prideful, they are chastised by God, they are humble... repeat. 

Do good works. Live high, live mighty and live righteously. 

Then I thought:

"EASY for you to say with your full belly and plump cheeks fed from a gloden spoon as you email a feel good letter to your family for thanksgiving"  

Kind of Pessimistic, I know, but I realized that though I am EVER so grateful for the state of living I have maintained thusfare my entire priviledged life... the NUMBER one thing in my life IS what I am offering to these people. I have much, but even if I didn´t, because I have the Gospel, I would still have EVERYTHING I needed to live happily. 

This thought it better expressed in a beautiful song by Mindy Gledhill:

If I had no songs.

If my words were washed away and gone.

Like sand in the ocean.

I would choose to see the beauty in a life of sweet simplicity.

That silence to speaks many things.

If I had no songs.

If my voice ran dry.

If all my melodies had gone awry for no reason why.

I would choose to bring to weary souls,

the songs that only hearts can sing.

I’d face a falling world with wings.

If my voice ran dry.

Take away the life I love, and black out all the stars above.

I swear theres nothing you can do, to make me feel I’m not enough.

When the clouds have gone.

When the final curtain has been drawn.

I’ll run free straight into the arms that wait for me.

So far beyond this scope of things I know where I belong

If I had no songs.

This Gospel is the best thing Ive got and I pray that people can see that through me and the way I "sing" the song of my life. I pray that God keeps my heart that is prone to wander close to Him, so that I can feel this Joy todaym tomorrow and Forever.

Talk to you all next week

XOXO Hermana Liberteeeeeeeeeeeee

PS.

This week one of our less actives (an old lady) told us how much she loves firm butts and she confessed when Elders were in the Area she used to pinch their cheeks (THOSE cheeks). She told us she even pinched her nurses bum and her nurse gave her a didrty look and asked if she was a lesbian. She replied "no I just have bad costumbres" hahahaahahahahahahaha  Being a missionary is crazy.

We decked our halls (My face is so serious because I couldnt get the tree to not fall down!)

I got a super Latino tag with my 2 last names. HOLLA! CRITTENDEN REPRESENT! and I celebrated by eating my first Mango in Paraguay!

My hair grows and goes blonder everyday ( I am not really used to being this blonde and so when people call me RUBIA I get pissed... 

but then I look it the mirror I can´t really argue... My life is so hard) I straightened my hair this day so... thats a miracle

I did a service project... which was tweasing Hermana Antonias Eyebrows because she asked me to so that she could be pretty at church the next day. I did and then SHE CAME! (she is less active) so... If you want people to go back to church, say the magic word "Twease" 

We went to Itagua