Week 64

10/19/15

Hello, my loved ones :)  I love you all so much.

I hope that you've had a good week and I have that you have really been able to enjoy the day of rest and do edifying activities so that you can really feel the Spirit.

This week has been so great, I don't even know what to share with you all!

This week we have interviews with Presidente Felix and I always love this.  I really enjoy the time I get with him to talk about missionary work in my area and to ask him how I can be better.  This transfer we are focusing on how to sanctify the Sabbath Day.  As missionaries, everyday is almost the same, and Sunday doesn't really feel that different from the other days, except that we go to church.  So we have been trying to think of ways that we can make it more holy.  Hermana Jeronimo and I have been cleaning our apartment a little bit on Saturday night, so that it is ready for Sunday.  We have also been listening to Hymns and at night and on Sunday morning to invite the spirit.  Another thing we have been doing is during the sacrament meeting, and even more while the sacrament is being passed, we are really trying to concentrate on the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us and what the bread and water really symbolize.  Just by doing these small things, I have been able to enjoy the Sabbath day more.  The time while the sacrament is being passed is a great time for reflection and for revelation so that I can really ask in what I can do better.  I have received answers!  It's like what was shared during General Conference.  When we pray and ask how we can be better, the spirit will whisper these small things to us.  I invite you to do it next Sunday.

We also have Exchanges this week.  I got to stay with Hermana Pirir again!  It was such a great day full of miracles!  I really felt that I was supposed to be with her that day.

We have been working a lot with the members so that they can help us with the missionary work.  This week various families were able to come with us to teach our investigators and it is so beautiful because our investigators need the members in order to have that friendship, and also it helps the members strengthen their testimonies.  I invite you this week to go visit someone with the missionaries, and I promise you that they will feel edified and their testimonies will be strengthened.

- Hermana Cuevas Da Silva ♥

We went to play Mini Golf this week with our District :)

They are remodeling our deck

Exchanges with Hermana Pirir

Week 63

10/12/15

Hello my loved ones :)  Sending you a big hug from Santa Maria!!

I am so happy to be able to serve here again!!  I was so happy when we went to church yesterday and the members remembered me!  They are also happy that I am there again.  It also made me so happy to walk into the chapel and see so many people there!  Many family who were less active when I was there now have callings and are active.

The only difference is that when I was there, there were 6 missionaries working the the branch, but now there is only my companion and I!  T

here are so many Hispanic people in Santa Maria!!  We need more missionaries here.  We are always running around from one appointment to another.  But I can't complain.  I like to be busy and teaching.

We are trying to focus on working with the members.  Because with their help, our investigators will be able to progress faster :)

Sorry, that this email is so short, but I love you all.  Keep the Sabbath day holy.  This week I have been studying, and they Lord promises us that our lives and the world would be in a better state if we keep the Sabbath day holy.

Hope you have a great week :)

- Hermana Cuevas Da Silva ♥

Saying goodbye to Hermana Garza

Hermana Jeronimo and I!

My District!

Week 62

10/5/15

Okay!  Hi family!

Sending you lots of greetings and hugs!

Well, it's that time again....Tranfers!!!

Friday night Presidente Felix called me to tell me that I have been chosen to be a Sister Training Leader, so I am going to be doing the same thing as always, but the only difference is that I am going to be serving the sisters in the mission.  My companion and I will be doing exchanges with the other sisters.  I am excited to be able to serve the sisters in our mission more.  So, I am going to change area, and I am going to return to Santa Maria!!!  My companion will be Hermana Jeronimo!!  I am Super excited to go back to Santa Maria and be able to work with the branch again.  It has almost been a year since I served there with Hermana Newman.  I feel a little bit inadequate to be able to help the other sisters but during the conference I felt a lot of peace hearing the three new apostles share their testimonies and their feelings about being called as apostles.  Like one of them said, "I need to focus on what I can do, and not on what I can't do."  Another also said that the Lord qualifies whom He chooses.  I know that with the help of my Father in Heaven, I can be an instrument in His hands.

Well, I am also really sad because I really have grown to love everyone in Newbury Park.  It has been a blessing to be able to serve here and be able to help others.  I know that the Lord put me here for the last four months for a reason and I have really grown during this time.

I love you all so much, I invite you to reflect on what the Spirit taught you during conference.

Love you!!

- Hermana Cuevas Da Silva ♥

The Jimenez family

Elena

Cristina & Omar and their family

Week 61

9/28/15

Hello my loved ones :)  I hope that this past week you were able to read the Book of Mormon and apply the things that you read in your lives.  I did, and I found that I was able to improve in areas where I am weak.

We saw so many miracles this week.  And more than anything, I could see the Lord's hand in the missionary work and in my life guiding me where He needed me.

Finally we were able to have a discussion with Elena!!  We only read the Book of Mormon because she has not been reading on her own so we are trying to help her see the importance of doing so.  We also went another day to help her and to make tamales.  Two other girls who rent some rooms were also there.  They were asking us what we believe and it is that we do differently, and before we could answer, Elena started explaining and teaching them about the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and about our Prophet Thomas S. Monson.  It was so cool to see Elena share her testimony about what she knows how they can know for themselves.  And Elena came to the church to see the General Women's broadcast and she brought one of the girls that rent with her!  They both loved the messages and there are very excited about this coming weekend.

I also really enjoyed the messages on Saturday.  I had written a few questions down that I have and I was able to receive answers this Saturday and I know that this weekend with General Conference I will also more answers and guidance from our Heavenly Father.  I invite you also write your questions down.  I know that when we go to General Conference with questions or doubts, we always leave with answers.

Yesterday we a really great day.  After church we always meet with the leaders from our Spanish branch to talk about the people we are going to visit this coming week, we ask for help for the coming week, and sometimes they ask us to visit someone in particular.   Yesterday we spent most of the time talking about one family in particular that is going through some really hard times because of the decisions that the mother is making.  We don't know how to help them, and sometimes we feel like there is no hope.  But that is a lie!!  There is always hope for our brothers and sisters.  Yesterday a brother said that somtimes we want to give up on a family or a person because we think that they will never change, but then we think of our Heavenly Father.  He never gives up on us.  It doesn't matter what we do, He is always there.  So, we have to have faith that someday they will realize the error of their ways and hopefully they can see that through all this time we have been there supporting them and loving them.

This week, I really felt like an instrument in the Lord's hands.  It is a really special feeling and it makes me feel humble to know that without the Lord, I can't.

I'm sending you a picture of our Halloween costumes....just kidding, I wish.  And another pictures of when we went to eat with the Sisters who we live with.  Hermana Hiapo had her 18 month mark in the mission!

The link below is of Isai's baptism two weeks ago when all the missionaries went and sang :)

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.youtube.com_watch-3Fv-3DJkEWkTPq6zk&d=BQIFaQ&c=z0adcvxXWKG6LAMN6dVEqQ&r=dy4m4VyPED_IQiWzgyHYTuVaIw2kOVnFsKwcq_sxl4w&m=eUMjGmNON7cNB5xMyQIvxQ2FfHFw26takFTA5lkG5uU&s=BQpSQtcUuEXJGc4CJzyVOLjav2bCi-P50ASZwBG-vEA&e=

Week 60

9/21/15

Hi Family!  Sending you greetings and a hug.  This week was incredible...as always :)

On Monday we went on a hike with our District and we almost died....Just kidding, but it was fun :)

This week we went to help the Sagapolutele family who just moved into our neighborhood.  I know the dad (Fili) from Utah!  He danced in Luz de las Naciones and now they are living here.  His wife, Pania, just had a surgery and so we and the other missionaries are taking turns going to help in the house.  This week we went and we cooked for them!  It was so fun!  Their kids helped us and we had a really great time.  Then their daughter Sophia wanted to say thank you and so she gave us feet massages and then she piled all her stuffed animals on us.  Then we sang and danced a Hawaiian dance.  It was so fun to be able to serve and to get to know them better.

This week we also had Exchanges!!  I got to stay in Newbury park with Hermana Newland!  I lived with her in Santa Maria almost a year ago.  It was so cool to be able to be with her again and talk about our missions, the miracles that we've seen, the challenges that we've faced, and the things that we have learned.  It's weird, because now I am one of the "old" missionaries and I don't really know many of the new sisters and all of the sisters that I have served with have either gone home already or will be going home by the end of the year.  The time goes so fast in the mission but I am trying to work hard and enjoy every day :)

We taught Raquel during our Exchange.  She was a member referral from the English ward.  We taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel and it was a really great discussion.  She lives in Thousand Oaks so she is not in our area.  We are going to try and get her address to give to the sisters there  so they can teach her.  Although I won't be able to be part of teaching her, I'm grateful to be able to teach her the first discussion.  She was been prepared by the Lord and has accepted to be baptized.  It was a beautiful experience.

To finish everything, we had a Zone Conference this week!  We focused a lot on the Book of Mormon.  It was great!! Hermana Felix was teaching us, and at the end of her talk she asked us if we would promise to read the Book of Mormon every day for the rest of our missions.  After everyone said, Yes......then she asked us if we would promise to read the Book of Mormon everyday for the rest of our lives, and we all said, "YES" and when we said that I felt the spirit so strong and it was so special.  It was so nice to be there and see all these missionaries make this promise to Hermana Felix and the Lord as well.

I know that when we read the Book of Mormon everyday we can see many blessings and we can feel the Lord's hand guiding us in our steps.

I love you all, I love serving the Lord and others.
Hope you all have a nice weekend :)

Our hike

Lunch with the Sisters

The Salgapolutele family

Week 59

9/14/15

Hi!  Sending you greetings and a big hug!  Can you believe that we are already in the middle of September?!  I can't.  The time is passing by so fast!

This week was full of miracles!  And it's been SOOO hot!!!  And it is a humid hot, so you can imagine.  I sweat so much this week.  So Gross, but it's ok! :)

Lots of families from the unidad that were less active are now returning to church and I love to be able to see how they are progressing in the gospel.  The De La Cruz family is one of these families.  They came back by themselves.  The dad got a calling this week, he is going to be a ward missionary.  The good thing is that he speaks English and Spanish so he will be able to help us and the other missionaries also.  It was funny because he just cut his hair so now you can see a tattoo that he has on his head from when he was a cholo and I loved seeing him stand up yesterday when they announced his calling, tattoos and all.  But it was really great to think about how much he has changed these past few months and in a few years he will be a part of the church.

The Jimenez family is also progressing a lot.  This week we had a Family Home Evening with all of them.  It was great to have a lesson with Susan and to be able to have her whole family there.  Her Aunt Flory was also there so that was awesome.  We talked about the Restoration of the Gospel and at the end of the lesson Flory was telling that she wants to

share this with her best friend.  We talked with her and we made an appointment for us to go with her to visit her friend and teach her.   Also, yesterday in the sacrament meeting, Tyler (Susan's brother) passed the sacrament for the first time.  It was so cool and special to see the Ispana ward now has a Deacon.  And speaking of the sacrament meeting yesterday.....45 people were there!!  And from those about 20 were less active members who have not come in 6 months or more.  It was a really special miracle.  We were all so happy!  We almost cried because we have seen these brothers and sisters grow and struggle and finally come to church and renew their covenants.  It was so cool.

Elena is also doing well.  She has not been to church yet, but we are trying to support her in everything that she's going through.  She knows that she needs to come, and she can see the difference it makes.

Well, I love you all so much, I hope you have a good week.  Don't let one day pass by without reading the Book of Mormon.  I know that it will help you, comfort you, and it will bless you :)

- Hermana Cuevas Da Silva ♥

It was so HOT this week!

Our district