Ernie.

Today is Ernie's birthday! He was one of my investigators who FINALLY chose to be baptized. I met him during my third transfer on the mission. I had just left my first area that was Spanish and I was sent to an ENGLISH area. Don't get me wrong, I was rather thrilled because I felt like I was finally able to teach people in a language I was confident in, but I had a feeling that it would be a long time until I went back to Spanish work (which ended up being true). 

The first real lesson I taught Ernie was on August 26th, 2012. I learned a lot about him that day. It was hard for me to love him at first because I felt like he was never letting us teach him. But, I had to learn how to listen out of love. And when I sincerely listened to him, I would know exactly how to connect it to the gospel - because anything can be connected to the gospel. Here's what I wrote in regards to my first real lesson with him,

"Before church we had a lesson with Ernie! It was my first lesson with him and haha he is so hard to stay on topic with. He's very skeptical which makes it hard for us to teach him. Sister Merciales was explaining the Book of Mormon and the Bible to him when he went off and said, "How do we know those events actually happened?" He then went off to explain the telephone game. It's where you whisper something into someones ear and by the time it gets to the very last person, the message that was once shared in the beginning isn't the same message anymore. He was laughing as he was explaining the game and I was getting frustrated. He paused for a moment and I jumped in to say, "The Book of Mormon and the Bible ARE the word of God! There is no mess up and there is no wondering whether it's true, because it is." He then was pretty silent the rest of the lesson."

I probably sounded like a mad woman when you read that but in all seriousness, I wasn't. I was finally getting to teach this guy and I felt like he needed to understand our purpose. Our relationship with Ernie grew and crumbled a few times, along with some tears, but it was so worth it. Towards the end of my time in Westwood (the area I was in while teaching him), I can remember writing in my journal every night, "All I want is to see him dressed up in white." Seeing Ernie being baptized was the one thing I wanted - not for myself, but for him. And I was fortunate to see it happen!

Ernie, I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I hope you know how much I love you as a person and as a son of God. I hope you know that I would go back and teach you all over again if it meant you coming even closer to Christ. I hope you know that I enjoyed every single story you ever told me. I hope you know that I thoroughly enjoyed the last lesson I taught you at the laundry mat when you actually let me help you do your laundry :) I hope you know that Sister Merciales and I will NEVER forget the day you actually said, "I love you" back to us via phone. You are a one of a kind, and I'm so grateful that you have found the gospel for yourself and that you are embarking on this journey with all of us as we strive to return back to the presence of God again. Love you!! Happy Birthday!

love,
Liv

christmas.

Christmas is probably my favorite holiday - next to my birthday. The whole month of December, everyone is so joyful, loving, cheerful, and everybody wants to serve! There is a special spirit throughout the whole month and miracles happen. Last year, I was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and spent Christmas away from my family. Christmas day was a hard but great day for me:

"I got to call home and talk to my family which was awesome. We just talked about normal stuff. We had a blast and I didn't cry until the very end when I had to leave a message for Richie. I totally lost it. It took me a while to recover from it but it made me really realize that I wasn't crying because I missed my family...I was crying because I love my mission so much and I don't want to go back home. We got to serve Sharon by singing to her and I felt the spirit so strongly. It felt good to serve her. Tonight I helped Sister Merciales do a three way call with her family in the Philippines. I called her family from the TC and then added her to the line from the phone she was using out in her area. It felt good to serve her. I love my mission!"

That day was a huge day for me. I finally didn't want to go home. I know, it sounds weird...especially since I still had another 9 months on the mission. However, I realized that I loved being a representative of Christ and that I wanted to do that and be that every single day for the rest of my life. When I told my parents we were going to do service, they were shocked! But, to me, that's what the Savior would have done. To me...it was normal. A family came and gave each of the VC sisters presents. They are one of my favorite families from the mission. What an example of Christ-like love they are to me. They glow with the love of Savior every time I see them.

Christmas this year was wonderful, but not as special as the one on the mission. This year, I was able to reflect on why last year was so great. I have come to the conclusion that it's because last year, I was representing him 24/7 that day. In reality, I represented him 24/7 for a whole year and a half! But that Christmas it wasn't about the presents, family, friends, homemade tamales, and the endless amount of text messages from people dear to me. It was who I was representing that day - the Savior. It was a day where I reflected on the Savior all day long. It was a day where I was able to testify of Him to people I met. It was a day where I gave thanks to Him for all that I have and am. Isn't that what Christmas truly is all about?

love,
Liv

making some changes.

I'm not sure if it's because my brother is going to Skype with us tomorrow or if it's because transfers were just last week, but I can't get my mind off of the mission. As I was flipping through some old pictures of the beginning of the mission, I was reminded of how many life lessons I learned throughout those 18 months. I also felt impressed that I need to be doing a better job at this blog. So, I'm going to start working on the blog more and start making some changes on the things I write. Stay tuned!

love,
Liv

be an example.

Today I traveled back to California for Thanksgiving! I prepared myself by putting some pass along cards in my backpack in case I happened to sit by someone on the plane who could use one. Well, I was fortunate to have someone sitting right in front of us who was Catholic AND from Pleasanton! It was the first time ever meeting him but we had a mutual friend in common. His wife grew up in Utah which is why they decided to raise their family there (more specifically, Salt Lake City). The thought ran through my mind that this could be a great opportunity to give him a pass along card! However...it just didn't feel right.

After landing in California, we needed to make a trip to the Apple Store to get my computer fixed. My brother also wanted to get an upgrade on his iPhone which led to another unexpected opportunity to talk to someone about the church. The guy who was helping us ALSO used to live in Utah - more specifically, Cedar City. At that point my daddy had left to make a call to AT&T about a payment we needed to make before we could purchase the phone. I thought really hard who I knew from Cedar City and then it hit me..."you don't by chance know a Jazzy Barney do you?" Yup. He did. I told him that I served my mission with Sister Barney and he said how he was just thinking about her the other day because he noticed that she put some mission pictures up. He was super chill and asked some really great questions. I thought about giving him a pass along card as well but remembered how he made a comment about not liking "pushy" people. Again, it didn't feel right.

In both situations I wanted to give them a pass along card but I felt like the spirit was telling me to just be an example. Giving them a pass along card was a great thought but it wasn't the best approach for these two situations. I still can't explain it...but I'm grateful I followed the promptings I received and because I did, I tried even harder to be mindful of the words I used when talking to them. One asked me why I joined the church and instead of just pouring my testimony to him I felt like I just needed to come to his level to share it in a way that he would respond to. And, it worked.

love,
Liv

three months.

I seriously cannot believe that I have only been home for three months. It feels so much longer. Every time I see a new missionary coming home from my mission I feel older...and older...and older. Sadly my last companion won't come home until around my year mark...I miss her so much! As I think about the past three months, I'm happy with where I'm at. I feel like I've really taken the counsel of my two mission presidents on how to apply the mission to my every day life. They told me that the commitments I extended to people every day such as reading the scriptures, praying, attending the temple, going to church, living the Word of Wisdom, etc should all be the same commandments I'm committing myself to live when I go home. One thing that I know that I need to do better on is my scripture study. I do it every day out of habit but...I don't necessarily do it out of desire. That's my goal for this next month - study the scriptures, don't just read them!

Here is a video of some of my memories from the mission. My mission was seriously the best decision of and for my life. I cannot imagine my life without it. I cannot imagine raising a family without the knowledge I gained from my mission. I needed to go on a mission in order to learn all of those valuable lessons for myself. Missions are just an incredible experience to know and to learn the type of life our Heavenly Father wants us to live. You learn so much about the Gospel and how to relate it to everyday conversation. You learn and experience all of the Christlike attributes and your flaws are definitely shown through the process. But I think most importantly a stronger, indescribable relationship is established between you and the Savior, Jesus Christ. I loved my mission so much. Not a day goes by when I don't think about it. It has changed my life and it continues to bless my life. I love being able to be a member missionary and to help missionaries in their efforts!

love,

Liv

to go, or not to go. that is the question.

Whenever I talk to a girl who is preparing for her mission I get so excited for her! I always think back on when I heard the announcement of the age change and how that completely changed my entire mission. I assumed there would be so many more girls going on missions but I never imagined the impact it would make on all of the missions around the world! Of course, my opinion is that every girl should go on a mission! However, I also know that a mission isn't for every girl. So...how do you know if it's the right thing for you? I found this article and I invite you to read it if you are trying to find that answer for yourself!

https://www.lds.org/youth/article/for-young-women-making-the-mission-decision?cid=HPTU111913171&lang=eng

Sisters, make sure you pray about it. It's a big decision to serve a mission! It's incredibly hard but so rewarding at the same time. It's not the time to travel the world and feel like you're at EFY again - it's a lot of work. But, don't let that scare you either. Don't choose not to go on a mission because you feel like it would be too hard. You'd be surprised how much you can do when you're a servant of the Lord.

"The qualities that will help you be a successful missionary include following and teaching with the Spirit, loving others, obeying the commandments, developing Christlike attributes, working hard, and serving others. These qualities will not only bless you if you decide to serve a mission, but they'll also help you serve the Lord in your home and in the Church throughout your life. Remember that you'll have divine help to develop these gifts of the Spirit when you pray for them and work toward them."

love,
Liv

Elder Ortega.

Emilio!!! He FINALLY got his mission call! He is going to be serving in the California Long Beach Mission and reports March 12th! I AM SO EXCITED FOR HIM! He is an amazing example of someone who truly converted to the gospel. He goes out with the missionaries multiple times during the week, brings his non-member friends to church activities or baptisms, and a million other things! He is such an example to me and I cannot WAIT to read about his wonderful experiences from his mission. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father led us to Emilio and that I was able to watch him progress in the gospel. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!

love,
Liv