Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 21, 2015

MERRY CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAAASSS!

(:

¡FELIZ navidad a TODOS! Can't believe the end of the year is already here 0.0 And I am super excited for all the happiness that's being spread around. Our Christmas program in the plaza de armas was a big success and lots of people came! I even ran into my old compy Hna. Bronson!! It was the BEST to get back together with her and Mama Angela and her family afterwards. I feel absolutely spoiled!

In news about the work though, this week we finished teaching all the lessons to our investigator Irma Lavendar. She has had trouble making the decision to be baptized in the past, even passing her interview and then backing out the very day of the baptism. But we have focused our best efforts on helping her understand the necessity of personal prayer and we prayed with her in our last lesson to ask if the church is true again. She felt more prepared to receive an answer and the image of the temple came to her mind. She asked if the temple belonged to our church to which we said yes! We will be focusing our visits with her before Saturday on building her faith and putting out the fear. This is the happiest holiday ever! (:

The scripture I have this week comes from Mosiah. I have been reading about King Noah and Abinadi and I love what Abinadi said in verse 27:

 27 Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?

This verse made me think about the ponderizing challenge. When I came to the mission I finally understood the deeper part of what knowing the gospel and living it really means. The verse from 2  Timothy 3:7 runs thru my mind every now and then and this section of Mosiah reminded of it again. What will a piece of knowledge benefit us if we don't apply it to our lives? I appreciate the words of Abinadi and his comprehension of applying our hearts to understand. Be smart, but more importantly, BE WISE!!

Have a great holiday everyone! May all of us act as WISEMEN in constantly seeking out the Savior. 

Love,

Hermana Furness 

Work work work

Monday, December 14, 2015

No time this week OR in this Internet hour to get all the things done that I need to! But I want to share the scriptures that the Gospel Principles teacher of our ward used as the base for his lesson. It's Matt 14--the scriptures about Peter's walk on water towards Christ and his little faith that caused him to sink. These are the verses I'd like to share:

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

What I grab from this is the phrase "when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid." When we relate this example to our lives, we see that it is both our doubts and our fear that cause us to sink and shrink from the Lord. At the least, Peter trusted in the Lord to call out for his help instead of trying to swim out of his problems, but if he had only chosen to focus on the Lord and not the torments, he might have prevailed the fall. It's not always easy to see or focus on the Lord when the torments whip us about and strain our vision. But He will never move and will never allow us to sink without offering His hand. His hand is ALWAYS stretched out, but it's up to us to reach for it. 

Have a good one! 

Love,

Hermana Furness

attached is the photo from our last Zone Training meeting with our fearless Zone Leader Elder Cowley in the Santa suit. Merry Christmas!!

Change Up

Monday, December 7, 2015

This week has improved IMMENSELY from the last one. I had been struggling with my personal prayers lately and I felt that I have been not only improving my efforts in the prayers, but seeing the miracles from doing so. I have seen so many prayers being answered and I feel the assurance of a more healthy relationship between me and Heavenly Father. I invite you all to evaluate your personal prayers and make the effort to improve!! :)

The BEST miracle that happened this week was the 2nd confirmation I received from the Holy Ghost that Huanchaco is improving. Lots of the problems lie in the relief society and the gossip circle that has existed for years. Yesterday, however, one of the hermanas who has had problems with many families in the ward taught an excellent lesson and bore her testimony at the end. It was so heartfelt and many other women who are normally involved in this circle gave sincere comments. My favorite testimony was that of our new pensionista, who is also a recent convert, named Lizeth. She bore one of the strongest testimonies I've yet to hear that it brought me to tears. She just bore her testimony on the beauty of the church and the organization and how she can't believe that there are actually people that care about her problems and want to know how she is doing. She is a fantastic person and is a true blue convert.

I don't have any photos to send this week, but I'd like to share a scripture I liked this week:

In doctrine and covenants 59, we read the well known verses about the Sabbath day. I loved what each one of these particular verses say:

 8 Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God inrighteousness, even that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

 9 And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspottedfrom the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;

 10 For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;

 11 Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;

 12 But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.

but verses 8 and 11 catch my eye more than anything. I view the sacrament as 2 things: the first being a way for us to give thanks to God (offering the Lamb as a sign of gratitude) and second as a weekly covenant that requires a sacrifice (offering up a broken heart and contrite spirit). I think that it is so beautiful that our sacrifices are from within--I remember hearing that as opposed to offering an animal, we offer "the animal within us," referring to our the natural man side. As important as a Sabbath Day sacrifice can be though, verse 11 contains the key to what makes our sacrifice one with value. We are to VOW and OFFER on all days and at all times in righteousness. I hope that this week, we can work to remain more pure and clean by obeying the spirit's guidance and living the principles of the gospel, to further help us prepare a more excellent sacrifice in the coming Sunday. 

Love,

Hermana Furness

Thanks for Giving!

The festivities are here! This week we celebrated Thanksgiving and had a dinner as a zone with turkey, mashed potatoes, and the whole lot. I attached a picture of me and my companion, Hna. Aldana, and Hna. Maydana--another hermana in our zone. We even made hand-turkeys!! I actually made a peacock just for kicks and attached a picture of that too. (: 

But in other news, Huanchaco is doing so much better with a bishop. In this short week that he was called, we have seen much more activity from the members--and especially from the leaders. Hna. Aldana and I have been using Sundays as our pivotal day to set appointments with the members to accompany us and it has increased our time spent teaching them. With more enthusiasm for missionary work and with the season for Christ approaching, the hearts of the Huanchaqueros are being softned and changed!! 

My studies got pretty deep while reading Jesus the Christ this week and studying out of the manual "The life and teachings of Christ and the Apostles." I learned many new things but above all, I want to share my testimony of Christ's example. He is so perfect; humble, wise, powerful, and loving. He posesses all that we want to receive from the people we know and what we want to achieve in the person we can become. I know that choosing to be kind and abandon our pride brings about miracles and changes in ourselves and others. I know that Christ lives and that He posesses these atttributes even though I have never seen him with mortal eyes. When I choose to love and when I see love in others, I remember what it was like to watch my Heavenly Savior and Brother. 

Hope the beginning holiday season brings about desires to spread the gospel and Christmas cheer! Stay safe, all, and I'm wishing you a Merry Christmas season!

Love,

Sister Furness

Another Short One

This is going to be another short one today! (Sorry everyone!)  But we have great news this week---Huanchaco finallly has a bishop!! Our ward mission leader was called to be our bishop this week and we had to stop ourselves from leaping out of our pews and shouting for joy. I know he's going to be great and our ward will be in great hands. 

Talking to a friend about developing more patience and Christ like attributes this week led me to a scripture that I love. In 1 Nephi, when Nephi was conversing with the angel in the dream and he was interpretating Lehi's vision, the angel asked him a question to which Nephi didn't know the answer. The angel asked: "knowest thou the condescension of God?" to which Nephi replied:

 17 And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

I loved what my friend said about this verse. He said that even though we don't always know why things happen in this life or even the small things that happen day to day, we can still know that God loves us and we are His children. Knowing our identity helps us handle the day-to-day trials with more patience and control  and it helps us have a more eternal perspective. Don't forget who you are as they say!

Love,

Herana Furness

5 minutes or less

literally have less than 5 minutes of internet time. 

HERE WE GO!

We had our talent show this week and it was AMAZING. 

We had a charla fogonera or fireside, in English, in La Esperanza and it was INCREDIBLE. 

One of the local ward members, Ritzy, received her mission call to Arequipa and will be leaving on December 15th. CRAZY!!! 

I attached a photo of the mission call letter opening. My comp was in Lima so I was with a mini missionary. 

So sorry I don't have more time today everyone! Have a great week and I'll try to write more next week (:

Love,

Sister Furness

Lion King Doctrine

Hey all! 

I'm happy to report that this past week I learned so many incredible things. Granted, there were some huge trials, but I have overcome them and learned something more incredible. I actually learned a lot of incredible things, but because of short time and lack of photos (sorry, I was boring and didn't shoot anything 😝), I want to share 2 things I learned from a great helper this week:

1. "The past can still hurt, as Rafiki told Simba, but you can run from it or learn from it." And he could return to the pride land because that was were he was meant to reign as king. We can let our pasts hurt us or learn from them. If we choose to learn from those mistakes we can prepare ourselves to take on the challenges that face us on our return to "The Pride Land" or Celestial Kingdom. :) 

2.  D&C 46:8-9

8 Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;

 9 For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts.

This verse helped me in my trials this week. I didn't ever feel deceived by anyone--but perhaps by Satan. These spiritual gifts are tools and talents that many have and can FIND in order to more effectively seek the kingdom of God. What bought me was the line in verse 9 that says: "and him that seeketh so to do." We are not able to obey all the commandments perfectly, but there is a division between those who seek to obey the commandments and those who simply don't. I know I am far from being perfect but I know that right now, I TRY and DESIRE to obey all the commandments. And that's all we need to qualify for these spiritual gifts! (:

Yeah. Enough writing. 

Heavenly Father loves you. I love you too! And that love needs to be spread to all. Best of luck to each of you this week!

Love,

Hermana Furness