Monday, May 30, 2016
5/30/16 letter
Hola,
This week was really good. We had 20 member present
lessons, which is the most I've ever gotten on my mission. And we also gave a
LOT of service. A less active, who's boyfriend is an investigator, had to be
out of her house in 2 days, so we went over and helped her clean out her yard
and house for a total of about 5 hours between the 2 days.
Let's just say the word pack rat doesn't even begin to
describe this lady...pretty much everything was just trash. She was super
grateful though. Also, on Saturday, we helped an investigator family of the
elders move into their new house for a few hours.
Our investigators Kris and Amare, who are cousins, are
preparing to be baptized this Saturday. Their grandpa is super active and takes
them to church on Sunday's. Amare's mom, who's a member, came to church on
Sunday for the first time in years and really liked it. On Sunday, we went to
the Mesa temple visitors center and they really liked it. Kris is 12 and he's
excited to pass the sacrament and go to the temple.
Maria is getting ready to be baptized on June 11th and is
super ready.
We did a family home evening with her on Monday in a
members home and she really liked it. We're doing another one tonight after we
eat some delicious papusas at her house. Rafael, who was supposed to get
baptized last week in Yuma, but didn't show up for his baptism, is rescheduled
for this coming weekend.
A cool thing that happened this week is that one of our
members called us and told us that she had set up a lesson at her house for one
of her neighbors that was interested. All we had to do was show up and teach
the lesson. It was awesome! His name is Porfilio and he's super humble and
ready. His wife and kids are still in Mexico and he hasn't been able to see
them in 4 years! We taught him on Thursday and then again on Saturday. He
wasn't able to come to church because he had a last second call to go into
work, but he talked to his boss so he can have next Sunday off to come to
church.
President Toone has challenged all of the missionaries to
invite someone to be baptized every day. It's been pretty cool.
Have a great week.
Hermana Gubler
Thursday, May 26, 2016
5/23/16 letter
Dear Family,
So this was a pretty happening week. Hermana Andelin went
home early Thursday morning, so now it's just Hermana Edmondson and me. The
nice thing about serving in the metropolitan area of our mission is that we can
take investigators to the Mesa temple grounds and visitors center any time we
want. We went twice this week and it was awesome! The first time was with our
investigator, Armando and his daughter. It was cool because I haven't ever been
able to actually spend some time in the visitors center. We watched the 20
minute Restoration movie and did the family proclamation walk through. On
Wednesday night, we went with the Acevedo family and did pretty much the same
thing. The mom got baptized a few months ago and her 2 sons are preparing to be
baptized in June. We're still working on the husband, but he came to church
last week.
Sunday was stake conference and Elder David F Evans of
the Seventy came as well as another seventy I don't remember the name of. It
was way cool! This is the 4th stake conference I've been to since November,
even though they're biannual, my transfers always just work out that way.
Rafael's baptism was Sunday night in Yuma and I was
planning on skyping in. Before stake conference started, I jokingly asked
President Toone if he was planning on going to Yuma that night for anything,
but he said no. After the meeting President Toone drove up to me in the parking
lot and asked for some more info on Rafael and his conversion story. He said
"I'll make some phone calls and see if I can set up a meeting in Yuma this
evening and you sisters can come in the car with me and go to the
baptism." I couldn't believe it! He told us we would stay the night in
Yuma with Hermana Lambert and her new companion since after the baptism and a 4
hour drive, we would get home after midnight. So we ran home and packed as fast
as we could and met him at the mission home. We got to Yuma at about 5:00 and
met up with Hermana Lambert at the house of the familia Mendez and had dinner
with them which was way fun. Then we went to the church to fill up the font and
set up chairs. A whole bunch of people showed up...except for Rafael! He got
stuck in Mexico that morning with some car problems and then a huge line to
cross the border and his phone died. We stalled by showing Mormon messages,
singing songs, having the branch president and President Toone speak, but after
an hour, we gave up. The branch enjoyed pizza and tres leches cake and then
everyone left with still no word from Rafael. I was pretty bummed, but it was
soooooo good to see everybody from the branch and to see Hermana Lambert again.
President Toone had to get back that night for an
emergency in Tempe, so we didn't get to stay the night and we got home early
this morning.
I was able to sleep pretty much the entire way though.
This week, we met a man named Ricardo outside the church building.
He said he felt prompted to go to the church right then. He's searching for
truth and said he wants help to stop drinking. We set up a return appointment,
but he gave us like 4 different weird addresses, none of which made sense. We
went out looking for him the next day and by some miracle, we were just driving
down a random street and saw him outside and it ended up being his house. We
taught him and committed him to baptism in the first lesson!
On Saturday, we knocked on the door of a lady who hadn't
been taught since August. She had moved, but the new person who lives there is
named Manuela and she let us in. She told us she really wants to get baptized
and she had been praying for someone to help her do that. She just moved here
from New Mexico a couple weeks ago.
Hope you have a great week!
Love,
Hermana Gubler
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
5/16/16 letter
Hola familia,
So today I'm writing you from Phoenix, Arizona. I got a
call Monday night that I would be transferred and then I left early Wednesday
morning to drive to Tempe. I'm pretty sad to be leaving Yuma because we have 2
baptisms happening this weekend (I'll probably get to skype
in) and a lot more coming up. Also I'm going to miss the
branch there and Hermana Lambert. She stayed in Yuma and got a new companion.
I'm currently in a trio with Hermana Edmondson (out for 6 months) and Hermana
Andelin both from Utah. Hermana Andelin finishes her mission on Thursday, then
I'll just be with Hermana Edmondson. Hermana Andelin stayed a week after
transfers so she can come home on the same day as her twin sister who's been
serving in Florida, Spanish speaking.
I'm kind of sick of getting transferred; this is my 4th
area in 7 transfers, but I'm super excited to be in Phoenix. There is as much
Spanish work here as in Yuma. In our stake, there are four Spanish wards! I
will be covering half of the Aguila ward and half of the Montaña del Sur ward.
Elders cover the other halves of each of the wards. This is my first time I've
been in a ward and not a branch.
This is also the first time I've served in the big city.
My area is kind of the ghetto outskirts of Phoenix; always an adventure.
The area here is great! We have lots of people preparing
for baptism and we had 11 investigators at church on Sunday. One lady, Maria
Ortiz was scared about baptism when we taught her on Thursday night, but
afterward she prayed and read more in the Book of Mormon. When we met with her
on Saturday, she was able to recognize the spirit she felt when doing so and
she said "Estoy lista" (I'm ready) and is preparing to be baptized on
June 11.
Last night I got to go to the monthly Mission President's
Devotional in Tempe, when recent converts share their testimonies. All the
missionaries are allowed to go if they have investigators with them, except for
the Yuma missionaries because it's too far away, so it was fun to go to one
because I haven't been since December. Another perk of being in the city is
that we can take investigators to the Mesa temple visitors center any time.
We're going tonight, so that will be fun.
My new address is:
208 W Darrow St.
Phoenix, Arizona 85041
Have a great week!
Love,
Hermana Gubler
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Monday, May 9, 2016
5/9/16 letter
Dear family,
Sorry I'm writing so late today. I went hiking with the young moms from the Spanish branch this morning to a place called telegraph pass.
It was really fun, but really steep, but there was a great view from the top.
It was nice to talk to you yesterday [for Mother's Day]. I won't write too
much today since I told you pretty much everything yesterday. This week was
really good though. We had 32 lessons this week, which I think is a new record
for me.
On Monday night, we did an FHE at the Mireles house and
invited a bunch of families from the branch. I borrowed a guitar from a member
and used it to play the opening and closing song at the FHE.
On Saturday morning, we had a Mother's Day breakfast
party in the park with our branch and the Spanish branch in San Luis. There
were bounce houses and lots of tacos, so that was fun.
For District pday last Monday, we went to San Luis to
look at the border and to eat good Mexican food and raspados.
I find out tonight if I'm getting transferred or not, so
that's really scary. I hope I stay in Yuma.
Have a good week and I hope you had a happy Mother's Day.
Love,
Hermana Gubler
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
5/2/16 letter
Hola family,
This week was awesome! Probably the biggest highlight was
getting to hear Elder Jeffery R. Holland speak to all the missionaries on
Tuesday in Tempe. We left Yuma at about 10:00 and got to Tempe a little before
2:00. We took a mission picture (I don't have it, but I'll send it when I get
it) with Elder Holland and then headed inside the chapel one by one getting to
shake his hand at the door. While waiting to take the picture, I was standing
in the sun for a while and got a little sunburn, so when I shook Elder Hollands
hand, he said "you look like you got some sun" and touched my cheek.
The meeting was awesome though. It started with Elder
Greer of the Area 70 sharing his testimony. He actually came to Casa Grande
when I was there and I think one of my Facebook photos is of me with him and
his wife and a couple other missionaries. He and his wife remembered me and we
had a nice little chat before the meeting. Then Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the
presidency of the 70 spoke about Christlike attributes and how a testimony and
conversion doesn't come through manifestations to the 5 senses, but through the
Holy Ghost. He used the example of the Israelites and Laman and Lemuel and how
they had lots of manifestation through the 5 senses like seeing angels, tasting
manna, feeling the shock of Nephi, but weren't converted. He said that seeing
isn't believing, but believing is seeing.
Then Elder Holland spoke for about an hour. He used a
portable microphone and walked all around the chapel. I was in the 3rd row on
the aisle and he paused and talked there multiple times, so he was literally
like 2 feet away for a lot of his talk. He talked a lot about how missionaries
should never go back to how they were before the mission. He said that the Lord
in his search for lost sheep doesn't have time for lost shepherds. He also
talked about how "love shared is never love divided." It was a really
cool experience to get to hear from an apostle of the Lord.
Another cool thing that happened was that a family I
taught in Maricopa got baptized yesterday and I got to skype into the baptism!
The mom, Araceli, and her husband, Jaime and their
teenage kids Iridian and Allan. They are super awesome and I can't wait to go
to their sealing in a year.
Our investigator Rafael (I sent a picture with him last
week) was supposed to get baptized this Friday, but we are going to have to
push that back a little more. Transfers are next week, so I hope I get to stick
around Yuma for another 6 weeks and be here for Rafael's baptism. Rafael's
niece, Marleney just moved here from Mexico and she came to church on Sunday,
so hopefully we'll be able to start teaching her as well. We had 7
investigators at church on Sunday, which was way cool.
Have a great week and I can't wait to Skype on Sunday.
Love,
Hermana Gubler
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