こんにちわ<-- thats Hello in Japanese! :)
I literally CAN NOT believe that this transfer is already over!!!! On Wednesday we switch companions as a start of the next transfer (there will be 12 in my mission). They announced yesterday who my new companion will be and I am SOOOOOOO excited!!! Her name is Sister Roman and she is a sister that is here temporarily until the Mexico City Visitors Center opens (end of Oct). She is from Tamaulipas, Mexico and has been having a really hard time with English... Which means two things. 1. I will be helping her with English. 2. She will help me with Spanish!!! Hurraaayyy for prayers!!!!! That means I'll only be giving tours in Spanish and English. I literally am so so so excited. Not that I didn't love the Mandarin tours I had to give... but walking and smiling and maybe saying 3 sentences in my broken Mandarin may not have been the most uplifting thing I've ever done in my life.. haha.
We should be expecting about 29 new sisters to come in this transfer from the Missionary Training Center. And also, my mission president said that last transfer (my class) was the largest class in the history of Temple Square with 54 new missionaries!! Ah! So cool!!
CHECK OUT LDS.ORG the minute you read this e-mail!!!! I'm on the home page!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahaha. It has been the coolest thing ever. All the sisters have stopped to tell me that I'm famous. Lol. It's so cool though! It has the video on the home page that I was in from last August when they filmed it. So exciting. I'm so tempted to tell my investigators that I'm working with in other countries to look at it to know what I look like but it makes me a little nervous.. haha. But really. Go look!
Also, so with the end of every transfer we usually have a "transfer surprise" and this transfer we are having a guest speaker - John Bytheway!! Also, not sure if you know who that is... but he is SOOO funny and uplifting and really awesome. You can Youtube him I'm sure. Point is - I love my mission!!
Being in this mission has really honestly been the best thing for my faith in God and in Jesus Christ. We get asked some of the most challenging questions regarding anything and everything about this Church. It has really amazed me though how much it strengthens my testimony instead of diminishing it. Of course, there are times when I have little miniature panic attacks until I take the time to study and pray... but ultimately, everything all comes down to the knowledge that God is our loving Heavenly Father and knows us perfectly and individually. He really really does. No one is perfect, not even the Prophet, but the one perfect person whose example will never fail us is Jesus Christ. We are all children of God and everything we do and my faith is centered on that one sure belief. The purpose of this life is to live a life patterned after the Savior and to walk in His footsteps, making covenants (promises) with God so that we can one day return to live with Him again. ALL because we love Him.
This week has been rough. Not even going to lie. Satan tries harder than ever to get valiant servants of the Lord caught up in things that don't matter. As to distract us from the one thing that matters most - WE are ALL children of God. He loves me. He loves YOU. He wants us to be happy and He wants us to believe in Him. Trust Him. Love Him.
As I stated from in my FIRST e-mail. The one thing I know this mission will help me learn to do is to LOVE. I pray every day for God to fill me with charity - the pure love of Christ- so that I may be able to feel the love that He has for each and every single one of His children. Each person I talk to I try to feel the love God has for them & honestly -- it WORKS. It works - but it is painful. I immediately find myself falling in love with the people that I teach and when they don't follow through with praying, reading God's word, or doing anything... my heart literally tears in half. Not because of me, because this work isn't about me. But because I know how much God cares about EACH person and their relationship with Him. And helping others develop a relationship with their Heavenly Father that is SO important. I can not and don't even want to imagine how God feels when we do things that distance us from Him or simply doubt in His divinity and love. It hurts and honestly pierces me to my core. I just want everyone to know that they are loved. Each. and. every. person.
I met this older man named John from Missouri the other day who had never heard about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before. He had to be maybe in his late 60s and was 6' 7'' - SUPER tall..- but was SO sweet. He was honestly just like a big teddy bear. He was just waiting for his son to get out of work for them to spend time together because he had never been here before. My companions and I had the privilege to share with him the history of Temple Square as well as the basic beliefs of this Church. Throughout the tour he ended up crying THREE times. And every time - each one of his concerns was resolved when we reminded him that he has a Heavenly Father that is so mindful of him and everything he has been through. Each place we took him to seemed to fit with each and every single one of his needs. We took him to the Seagull Monument where the one miracle of the early pioneers had to experience when first got here with their crops. And another time at another area where he explained his deepest concerns with when he served in Vietnam. I didn't know what was going on in his life, but I do know that I felt so much love for this man. It was the most miraculous experience I've had - and I'm sure there are plenty more that will be coming.
Our mission president, President Gillette, had us set a goal to finish the Book of Mormon in 80 days. I am so determined to finish it before then and I have been reading it so much every night before I write in my journal. I'll let you know when I finish!!! :)
Okay... sorry for talking your ear off today... I'll let you go...until FRIDAY!!! Friday is my next p-day. so be expecting another e-mail then. :D :D
I really do LOVE receiving letters. So don't be shy... honestly. Really. Please. Please. Please.. lol.
Here is a scripture to ponder about today.
It's in the Book of Mormon. Mosiah 4: 9
"9 Believe in aGod; believe that he is, and that he bcreated all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has allcwisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not dcomprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."
I hope to hear from you. Have a wonderful next couple of days!!!
SMILE :D, BE HAPPY :), & REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE <3
Love always,
Sister Corina Selene Cuevas
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