Hermana Palo

No photos this week - so it's a repeat

That's me.

INTRODUCING THE NEW AND IMPROVED 

HERMANA PAALLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

and for those of you who don't get it, palo means stick in Spanish. 

That doesn't actually clear much more up, okay, let me explain. There is a phrase that we use here in the Spanish speaking world that is dar palo. To give stick. And I am having trouble thinking of how to explain it in English... when somebody dar's palo (haha Spanglish tho) they say it how it is; they don't hold back, and not in a romantic way, more of like... well.... LITERALLY HOW DO I EXPLAIN THIS. IT'S JUST

DAR PALO

DI PALO 

I DON'T KNOW

LIKE

IF SOMEBODY IS BEING SILLY AND DOING SOMETHING SILLY AND I CASTIGAR (WHAT IS THAT IN ENGLISH) [punish] THEM THEN I HAVE GIVEN PALO. That is how palo works.

You give the palo and then people fear you.

And I am the new Hermana Palo. So, when you read that, fear should strike your hearts and there should be screams.

But don't worry, it was all in love. 

Without giving a whole lot of details, our ward has been having some trouble working with us as missionaries to bring to pass the work and all that... and so, during our ward council, I had the opportunity to give some palo. And I didn't exactly know that I was going to do it and I don't exactly remember what I said, but Hermana Ferrin and Hermano Vergara (our ward mission leader) were very impressed and called me both 'Hermana Valiente' [Brave] and 'Hermana Palo', so, I think that it went well. We were talking a little bit about the numbers of church assistence in all the stake and that our ward had the best assistence in all the stake and somebody used the phrase, 'estamos bien' (we're okay) to which I gave a bit of palo. 

Let me explain to you why no 'estamos bien' even though we have the best assistence [attendance] in the stake, [a stake is similar to a diocese] and why no ward [a ward is a local congregation] should ever say 'estamos bien' just because their assistence (not sure if that actually makes sense in English, I am having English problems today) is better than anybody else in the stake. 

In any given ward, I imagine that there are a handful of less actives that everybody knows, and a mountain of less actives that nobody knows about, and until every single person on that list is in the church on Sunday, praying every day, and reading their scriptures, and really coming unto Christ, NO ESTAMOS BIEN. We cannot fall into Satan's trap of thinking that because we have done a little bit of work and have seen some results that everything is fine and we need not work more. Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die, that's what we're saying when we decide that because we've done a little that we don't need to do more. Eat, drink, and ignore the things that are hard to do because nobody else knows, the numbers are high, don't worry about it! 

How about....

no.

How about we all buck up and SACAR LA MUGRE [remove the dirt - get to work] because tomorrow we really do die and I'm going to die trying darnit. We need to get ourselves out of our own heads, thinking that our salvation is secure because we're doing all the things that we need to be doing, because if we're not helping out the rest of the people, we AREN'T doing all the things that we need to be doing and our salvation is no longer secure! And if that is the only thing that can motivate us to work with the missionaries and be the member missionaries that we're always talking about, then remember that, but if you want to go a step further, remember simply that we are all children of God and all of us needs to pitch in to help one another. We're all in this together, so for humanity's sake, if you haven't seen somebody at church in a while, find out what's going on! Follow the promptings of the Spirit to find the people that need help; be the Savior's hands on the earth and do what he would do: don't wait for somebody else to tell you to visit somebody or to call somebody; do it yourself! Pretty sure there's a scripture about that in Doctrine and Covenants, but ANYWAY, we're all children of God and we've all had rough times. We've all gotten a little lost from the rest of the pack, so at least try to help those people who are struggling. The least we can do is try.

But anyway, that's a little parte-cito of the palo that I gave.

Now you all have it too. congrats :)

But I have to go now, and I love you all so much! Talk to you all later!

CCCCCCCCCCCCIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;" Doctrine and Covenants 58:27