1.26.2015

The rest of January!

Hey guys!                                                                                                                         1-26-15
It has been a great week. Today I am starting my last transfer! Hermana Hungria is still going to be my companion which I am really happy about. Things are really picking up here in Villa Obispo. This past week we found some really cool people that we are excited about. One of them is a family who told us their lives are like the life of Job from the Bible minus the plagues... The son, Fabian, has so many questions about the Plan of Salvation and the mom explained to us how she just doesn't feel like she has a purpose in this world. She said she wakes up in the morning and wishes she could be excited for a new day and new adventures but she isn't and she doesn't feel a real happiness. It made me so so sad to listen to her and also at the same time I realized just how happy and blessed I am to have the gospel in my life that is genuinely makes me so happy everyday and gives me something to work for every day. Our lives have purpose and that is someting that lots of people don't have. Could you imagine that? Just not feeling like there was any reason to wake up and go to work, or go to school or whatever. Hermana Hungria and I are really excited to teach them and we have been studying up on ways to help them understand God's plan and the importance of agency.
We also found this lady, Gisela, that left the Catholic Church and is now looking for a church that fills her soul and that is really the truth. She was going to come to church but sadly her husband came home and she is scared to leave during the morning because that is when she makes lunch and she says he will get mad at her. She also smokes a TON and says she has smoked since she was 13. (Cam-Im gonna smoke when Im 10!)
We also are teaching a less active family that always gives us a bunch of blueberries because the son's wife works on a blueberry farm that ships all of their fruit to the "gringos." 
Also, we ate lunch with this other less active family on Friday and on Sunday they came to church! They showed up late and sat in the back and when I looked back behind me and saw them it just made me so happy.
I am really excited for these 6 weeks that I have left. Really I am. I know there is still so much I can accomplish and lots of people we can help so I'm going to, as Dad always says, "Take it to the next level!" hahah. It is going to be great.
I love you guys!
love always,
Hermana Chalmers



Hermano Carlos Quezada - coolest guy ever






Hey! Its Wednesday!                                                                                                          1-21-15
This week was really good. We had an activity in the mission in the Southern part of the mission in a little town called Traiguen. It was so much fun. It was like girls camp 2.0 or something like that but with missionaries. We got shirts and played a bunch of games, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, kickball, watched Meet the Mormons and had a BBQ. I will send some pics. 
(hey! shout out to Courtney, they are playing Green Day in this cyber)
It has been a little tougher this week with finding people with all the people in LA on vacations or at the river because it is so hot so we have been focusing in finding through less active members and part member families which has been pretty cool. Sunday was a harder day and we didn't see a lot of the fruits we were hoping for from the work we had done during the week. I was pretty bummed sitting there in sacrament. My companion showed me a scripture in DyC 78:77-88 that says, 
 17 Verily, verily, say unto you, ye are little childrenand ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in hisown hands and prepared for you;
 18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of goodcheerfor will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and theblessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.
It really helped me out a lot and was an answer to a lot of questions I had had during the week. God asks that we try our best and give all we have. There are a lot of things that have happened in the mission with our investigators or with the ward that are hard to understand and are tough but we are here to learn every day, we can't have all the answers in one moment which means that sometimes things won't make complete sense, and that is when God asks us to exercise faith and confidence in Him and His perfect plan.
Also we found this family and the dad is a hard core 7th Day Adventist that has studied everything and anything that has to do with religion. He is pretty intimidating but it has been learning to trust in the Spirit and have confidence in the power and authority we have as missionaries. But I won't lie, there have been moments when I just wanted to pee my pants as he talked to us about all kind of doctrine and information.
It is SO hot here in LA but I love it! I would definitely prefer it to the rain and cold in the winter here. Cambios are this Monday but I am pretty sure I am staying here to finish my mission with Hermana Hungria. At least I hope so.

love you guys!

love always,
Hermana Chalmers 
The group I got to the mission with
pics from the activity




1-12-15
Hey team! It was a great week, Eduardo got baptized! Yahooo! The day of his baptism we had to fill the font in the morning and the heater didn't work so he got baptized in freezing water, but its alright because its like 100 degrees here every day. Also his grandma, mom and two friends came to his baptism. That was a big one because Eduardo is a pretty quiet guy and he kept telling us he didn't think anyone would come but they did and they really enjoyed it so that was a miracle in itself. President Martinez baptized him and it was pretty funny because he came out of the bathroom in all his white clothes except his pants and said, "Hermanas... we have a small problem. I left my white pants at my house." hahah. It was a really simple and short baptism but it was so great. The spirit was strong and I know Eduardo was happy and content. When he was getting baptized I remembered the first time we taught him and all the questions he had and doubts as well. It is so cool to see how the gospel can put our lives at ease and bring us so much peace and hope. I know that is what it has done for Eduardo and what it will be able to do in the future for the rest of his family. On Friday before Eduardos baptism we taught him about baptisms for the dead and temple work and he loved it. He told us he didn't know why but all of what we were teaching him was really familiar and also that he had been thinking about what happens to the people who don't get the chance to be baptized the night before. It really is such a miracle that we are a part of the true church. It gives us all the answers. I love teaching the plan of salvation because it really does fill in all the cracks and takes care of everyone, every situation.
Thanks for everything! I love you guys!
Love,
Hermana Chalmers

p.s i will write you next wednesday instead of monday because we have a mission activity next Monday.

The freezing water in the font

Eduardo's Baptism

some grafitti



Pictures from Zone activity on the 1st of January and from the mission P Day activity on January 19th!





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