Week 42

5/18/15

Hi Family! Sending you lots of hellos from Lompoc California :)

Well, this week went by so fast!  I feel like every week goes by faster and faster and I don't like it!  But it's ok because that means that we are busy and working hard.

This week I learned a lot about how I can listen and follow the whisperings of the Holy Ghost on how to find and teach people.  We had an activity in zones with Presidente and Hermana Felix and it was so cool!  We went on a hike and during part of the hike I had to blindfold Hermana Zarate or she had to blindfold me and we took turns feeling "the spirit."  We had to help our compainion to walk and stay on the path and not fall off the mountain.  I remember when I was blindfolded, I was so scared because I couldn't see anything!  I tried to grab Hermana Zarate, but we couldn't do that.  I could only listen to her voice and have faith and trust in her that she was leading me down the correct path.  Little by little as I walked my faith started growing and also my confidence grew as well.  I knew that she wouldn't lie to me and that she only wanted to help me and so that helped me a lot!  It was a really cool experience to realize that the Holy Ghost is always there guiding my path and helping me find people that are ready to receive the Gospel.

Also this week we had a District meeting focusing on the Restoration of the Gospel. It was so cool to be able to study more about it and be able to see how wonderful it is to have the same church that Jesus Christ established when He was on the earth.

Well family, I don't have much time, but I just want to invite you to take the time to listen to the Holy Ghost this week and I know that He will guide us where we need to go and to what we need to do.

I love you all so much!

- Hermana Cuevas Da Silva ♥

The District Latinos

Me and Hermana Zarate

Following the Spirit

Week 41

5/11/15

Hi Family!  I hope that all you moms enjoyed your mother's day yesterday and I hope that your children or your family brought you breakfast in bed.  If not, it's ok.  They can try again.

Well, this week went by so fast!  We went to visit Hermano Julian this week and we had a super cool discussion and we could feel the spirit SO strong, but Hermano Julian was rejecting the Holy Ghost.  We tried to teach him about the resutration and how there can only be one true church in the world.  And that this church has to be the same church that Jesus Christ established when He was here on the earth, but his heart is so hard and he wasn't listening.  We don't know what to do, but this week we are going to to go again with a Sister from the ward and we are hoping that this will help.  He needs lots of prayers.

We had a zone conference this week and it was really cool.  As a mission we are really trying to focus on being guided by the spirit to find and teach and our meeting was completely guided by the Spirit.  It was really cool to be there and really concentrate and Listen and learn from the Spirit.

Also, this week we went to pick up a sister from the ward from her job in Buelton, so she could go tracking with us.  She's been home from her mission almost a year but she's about 30 years old.  She is so powerful and such a good teacher.  We found a family that the Lord has been preparing and it was so good to have Dulce there with us.

This week went well with the Uribe family.  When we first started to teach them we only talked to the dad.  Then the wife starting listening once in a while, and now we are going to have the whole family there listening! (Well, all those who live there).  It has been cool to see how little by little we have gotten to know them and they have felt more comfortable with us and how now they accept the things we ask them to do like pray and read the Book of Mormon.

Then we had a baptism in the Spanish group on Saturday!  Everything started with the Hermana Hortencia.  She invited her friend Flor to come to church on Sunday.  Then the missionaries went and taught her and now to got baptized with her two daughters who are 8 and 9 years old.  Then after a few months her husband got baptized, and now, months later, her oldest daughter Elsa got baptized!  It was such a cool service!  All of the Elders who have taught this family were able to come and be there with Elsa.  It was also cool because a few weeks ago we met her and became friends.  The day she got baptized she asked Hermana Zarate and if we could stay with her waiting after she got baptized.  It was a really special and spiritual service.  We know that the Lord continues to bless this family and that in one year they will be able to be sealed as a family.

And something fun that we did this week was we got to go to "Pork Place" a farm with Jose (our less active member) to help him with some work so that he can go to church on Sunday.  There were so many piggies!!! We cleaned up their poop and then we corralled them and then played with them.  It was fun and......Jose came to church!!!  He really liked it and we were so happy because he hasn't come in so long!  Next week I will send you pictures of the piggies :)

Well family, I love you all so much and I hope that you never forget how much our Father in Heaven
loves you.  He will always be there and everything He gives us is because He loves us.  I know that this is the only true church on the Earth at this time and I know that God helps us with His work.  I love you all!!

- Hermana Cuevas Da Silva ♥

Elsa's Baptism

Week 40

5/4/15

Hello family!  Sending you lots of hellos from Lompoc and happy May!  I can't believe that we are already in May.  I feel like just last week was Christmas.  But oh well.  I hope that you are all enjoying all of the blessings that our Heavenly Father has for you.

This week was so good, like always :)

We had exchanges and I got to work with Hermana Costilla this time!  And we stayed in Lompoc.  Well, we went to Solvang for the day and it was so cool to be there again.  Since we live in Lompoc now, we don't get to go there very often.  But we found a family from Honduras that are so cool!  The mother, Berta, was already being taught by some missionaries a year ago, but when they moved, she lost contact with the missionaries.  Her and her children have a great desire to follow Christ and do what He want for them.

We have a less active member, Tomas, that we went to visit and told us that he wants to go back to the Catholic church because he's not sure if he still has a testimony.  We had a really spiritual and good discussion with him about prayer and how our Heavenly Father answers prayers.  We are planning on teaching the discussions again.  We hope that this will help him a lot.

On Sunday, some 8 year old twins got baptized and that was their birthday.  The missionary who baptized their mom 2 years ago, came to baptize the girls.  It was so cool to be there and see how much the members love the missionaries who serve there.  Even 2 years ago.  And also to see the love this brother has for each one of the members.

Okay, to finish, yesterday we went to the Uribe's house and they had their family there.  Hermano Uribe was with the family outside and we were inside with Hermana Uribe, her daughter Lili, and some of the daughter's friends.  We had a really cool discussion about the weaknesses that our Father in Heaven gives us, and about the trials that we face and how we can face them with the help of our Father in Heaven.  It was super cool!

I want to finish with a scripture that our District leader Elder Lee sent us after a really hard day, it is D&C 112:10-11

10 Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.

 11 I know thy heart, and have heard thy prayers concerning thy brethren. Be not partial towards them in love above many others, but let thy love be for them as for thyself; and let thy love abound unto all men, and unto all who love my name.

He didn't know that it had been a hard day or anything, but I am greatful to have leaders so inspired like him, Presidente Felix, and our Hermanas Trainers.

Thank you for everything thing, and don't forget to call your mothers to tell them thank you for giving you life and for all that they do for you :)  I love you all!

- Hermana Cuevas Da Silva ♥

Me and Hermana Costilla

Our bunk beds and some lips Hermana Zarate made me buy

The District! from left to right, Elder Moreno, Elder Herrera, Elder Lee, Elder Bautista, me and Hermana Zarate

Week 39

4/27/15

Okay family.  I don't have much time, but we'll see how it goes.

We are living in Lompoc and I love it!!  The Spanish group here is so excited to have us and we also have 4 elders as well.  So 6 missionaries for the Spanish group and it's almost a branch now :D  There are so many good things happening here.  The Lord really has been preparing His children and we are so blessed to be able to help them return to Him!

I love my district.  There are only us 6 missionaries for the Group but they are all so good.  I don't have a picture with them, but next week I will send one.  Since we are all missionaries that speak Spanish we have our meetings in Spanish.  This has never happened to me so far, so it felt a little weird, but I love it :)  I just remember that the Gospel is universal and it doesn't matter what language we are speaking, but we can always feel the Spirit.

This week we went with the Uribe family.  There are a couple that we have been teaching for a while but they have not been progressing.  In this last discussion Hermana Uribe said his first prayer!  It was so special and it was a really cool moment for them as well.

Okay, to finish....our district leader asked us to pick a scripture for us to focus on during this transfer.  I picked D&C 68:6 that says:

6 Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.

I know that our Heavenly Father loves us and that He is always with us.  I am so thankful to be able to have this time that I can tesitify of Him and of His love everyday.  I love you all so much and I hope that you have a great week!

- Hermana Cuevas Da Silva ♥

Look what we found on the streets of Lompoc

Week 38

4/20/15

Good morning family!  Sending you a great big hug!  I hope that our Father in Heaven is taking care of you and blessing you everyday.

Well, to start, TRANSFERS:  I am going to stay in my same areas of Solvang and Lompoc and I am going to stay with Hermana Zarate.  But we are going to change apartments!  My new address is:

401 W. Vine #130

Lompoc, CA 93436

And also, now we're not going to be the the ward in Solvang :( Just with the Spanish group in Lompoc.  I am super excited to be working only in Spanish, but I am also sad to leave the members here in Solvang.  These last 3 months here with them have been so good and I am excited to serve another 6 weeks here.

Well, Blake left for BYU-I!  We are excited for her and we are hoping that everything will turn out and that she can meet lots of people and feel at home.

Ok, so last week we received a message from Presidente Felix letting us know that on April 19th everyone had to go to Ventura for a special mission meeting.  But his didn't tell us why.  We yesterday we drove to Ventura and everyone was there.  It was so cool to see Hermana Shepherd, Hermana Clark, and all of my friends :)  So we were there sitting, just waiting when Presidnete Felix came in with David Archuleta.  It was so weird and so cool!  Turns out that David had to do something in Los Angeles today and he wanted to visit the missionaries first.  So we talked with Presidente Felix and he said it was ok.  We had a devotional and it was such a cool experience.  He sang a few songs and shared some of his experiences from his mission and from his life.  My favorite part of the program was when he shared Alma 37:6-7

6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

 7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very smallmeans the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

It's the little things that we do that make such a big difference.  Sometimes we don't realize but after a while we can look back and see the difference then and now.  After that he sang "Come, Come, Ye Saints" and he was singing in English and then on the third verse he sang it in Spanish and then spirit was so strong there.  I have heard and sung that song many times but when he sang the words, "All is well" I felt in my heart that these words came from our Heavenly Father.  And that He was telling me that everything was going to be alright.  Even when we feel that everything is hard and we feel alone and frustrated, everything is going to be alright.

Here is a video of Daivd singing a song that he sang to us yesterday.

http://www.mormon.org/blog/david-archuleta-glorious-music-video

I love you all so much, have a great week!!

- Hermana Cuevas Da Silva ♥

Blake on her last day

Our ward mission leader Hermano Mathews and his family

Hermana Mathews mother.....Hermana Mathews

Week 37

4/13/15

Hi!!!

Okay, this week was soooo good.  To start, we went on a hike with our zone and it was so fun and it was so good to just go and walk with great people for a while.

Then, on Tuesday we had exchanges.  I got to go to Santa Maria!! And I worked with Hermana Killpack (for the third time)  Oh how I enjoyed to return to my area and see how things have changed!  I also really enjoyed working the Hermana Killpack again.  Since it was our third time working together we say we are companions now.  It was so nice to talk to her about less active members that I remember working with, who are now active and have callings and are working hard to help with the work.  It was a day full of miracles and lots of hugs seeing my friends there.

Then on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we were in Lompoc.  We saw so many miracles there as well.  Hermana Zarate and I have been working on being completely obedient to all of the mission rules and we have seen the blessings.  We have been able to find many people in Lompoc and all of the people that we have talked to have been so ready to hear the gospel.

Jose came to the sports night and it was so cool to see the members show him how much they love him and have missed him at church.  I feel like little by little he will return and realize how much we need him at church.  Oh, we were also playing futbol and Hermana Zarate and I were the goalies.  We got hit so many times with the ball!  But it was ok because they didn't make any goals!

Then on Saturday after seeing lots of people, we went to eat with Arturo.  He is doing so much better, and he even came to church yesterday with Jackson and Isabel (his children).  But on Saturday after eating (some delicious enchiladas) we were heading to the other room to teach a discussion with Arturo when some of his mom's friends who were also visiting asked us if we were going to share the Word of God (its somthing everyone says here) and Arturo said yes and they asked if they could stay a listen to the discussion as well.  We told them obviously yes that they could!  And we had a really nice discussion!  We shared about the Book of Mormon and about Temples and we showed the video about He Lives.  They loved the video and everything we shared.  They are from Los Angeles so we gave them a copy of the Book of Mormon and then we invited them to go the Temple and to go to the visitors center.

Also yesterday after trying to find somebody at home, we thought about Juana, a less active member.  When we got to her house, come to find out that she was not feeling very good and wanted to give up.  She sang a hymn to her and after talking a little while, she told us how grateful she was and told us that we were the answer to her prayers in that moment.

I love this work and love being an instrument in the Lord's hands.  I know that we didn't do anything except be obedient and be prepared.  The Lord is the one who does the rest.

I love being a missionary and I so thankful for the opportunity that I have to work everyday in the Lord's work and to be part of so many miracles and blessings.  I invite to you to read the Book of Mormon everyday.  This is the other thing that really helped us this week.  I promise you that you will see a change in your lives.

With lots of love!  Have a great week :)

Our P-Day

Exchanges with Hermana Killpack and Hermana Costilla

When we went to the park

Us with Jackson

Week 36

4/6/15

Hi Family!!

I hope that you all enjoyed your weekend full of inspired talks by inspired men and women.  I also hope you all enjoyed Easter with your friends and families.

I really enjoyed every session of conference.  It is so interesting to hear and see what we need at this time.  My favorite talks were from Elder Gerald Causee who spoke about how sometimes we don't appreciate the things closest around us.  It really made me think how much we really should love the gospel.  If our car broke down, would we walk 15 minutes to get to church?  When we really love this gospel and are faithful we would.  We would do everything possible to have the gospel as a part of our lives.

I also really liked the talk by Elder Brent H. Nielson.  It made me think of so many different people who have decided to leave the church and we don't know how to help them.  But I know that sometimes the best thing we can do is let them leave.  And just as Elder Nielson said, we have to observe, wait, and the most important thing...let them know how much we love them.

And Elder Holland.  This man speaks with such power and authority.  I love it.  His story about the boy who was about to fall made me cry.  I know that our Father in Heaven ALWAYS is there waiting for the moment when we are about to fall and rescue us.  He will never let us fail.

Arturo is doing much better, he looks more happy and at peace.  Even though he has so many problems, he knows that he needs to take time for the Lord and He will help him with his problems.

This week we had a discussion with Jose (a less active member) and Hermano Mathews (our missionary leader for the ward) and it was so cool!!  Hermano Mathews is such a good teacher and it was so cool to be able to be there and see him teach Jose with such love and patience.  We are so happy because now we are friends.  Jose also came to church for one session of conference!! It was so cool.  Jose has not come to church in so long and he told us how good it felt to be there again.

Well family, I love you all so much, I pray for you all and I know that when we align our will with the Lord's will He will bless us and we will have so much joy in our lives.

-Hermana Cuevas Da Silva ♥