the Savior doesn't have a personal bubble

Sister missionaries come in all sizes!

well 

how am I?

I DUNNO I HAVE GOT A LOAD OF THOUGHTS AND THINGS GOING ON IN MY HEAD RIGHT IN THIS MOMENT AND I JUST DONT EVEN KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT

sooooooo

we haven´t had cambios YET but presidente responded to my email the last week saying that he had been praying and meditating a lot to know what to do with me my last cambio and said in the email that he has decided to keep me here in Compañía for my last cambio!!

BUT WHO KNOWS IF IT'S THE TRUTH I DONT KNOW WHO TO TRUST I DONT BELIEVE ANYTHING UNTIL THE CAMBIOS REUNION IS OVER

but it looks like

i'm going to die here [that just means she'll end her mission in her current area]

:D

but anyway, it has been a good week, an interesting week, a week full of proselyting and preaching the gospel as all good weeks are :) 

i have plenty of stories to tell (there's always a story to tell) but this week i dont have a whole lot of time, so i'm gonna just go ahead and tell you all that no matter what you're going through, no matter what problems you have or what sadness you may be experiencing, the gospel will ALWAYS help you. I have a firm testimony of that and every week that I am here i learn it a little better. 

Talking about the gospel with people isnt always easy, especially as a missionary because the people always want to talk about something else and the conversation almost always gets off track really fast, but one of the gifts that the Lord gives to all missionaries and all people that preach his gospel is the gift of 'bringing it back to what we were talking about before'. In the beginning when i taught, i found that it was a little hard to do this and i realized immediately that it was a gift that Heavenly Father gives us all when we preach his gospel that we need to develop more, and more and more now i am realizing that the connections that i make when i teach make sense and have a purpose. The more and more i have thought about it, the more i have realized that the gospel really is the cure for anything and everything that goes on in our lives. 

If we would all put the Lord first, before everything else, we would realize that he's a lot closer to us to be able to give us the things we need and want. When we stand 20 feet from the Lord and put other things in front of Him, work, hobbies, money, he has to kind of throw the blessings at us not really being able to see us and we dont always catch them, but if we would step around the work and the hobbies and the money, we would find ourselves face to face with the Lord, just an arm´s length from all the blessings we could ever need.

So, get a little closer to the Lord! Don't be scared, he doesnt bite! Put Him first and you'll see a great difference in your life, I promise. I know this gospel is true and I know that Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father love us infinitely and that they live to bless us. Put yourself in the position that they can bless you how they want to! I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

SORRY IT'S SO SHORT TODAY

but i love you all and i'll let you know what's really and truly going on with cambios and stuff next week

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK AND I JUST LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND I'LL SEE YOU IN SO LITTLE TIME IT'S SCARY

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converts baptizing converts

Always the happy hermanas.

I've been sitting here for like 5 minutes trying to think of a title for this email but I have NO CLUE what to call it so I'm gonna name it at the end :)

I have been thinking about a whole lot of things lately. Let's start with the funny things that happened throughout the week.

1) I was talking on the phone with an investigator asking her if she felt better (because she had been sick) but instead of asking her if she felt better, i got distracted watching a woman that entered the room where we were waiting and said 'está sintiéndose mujer?' 

i asked her if she felt like a woman 

2) we had intercambios and i went to Simón Bolívar and we taught a Haitian in English and Hna Garlock thought he was 35 and was teaching him how to say that in Spanish but he said 'THIRTY-FIVE? I'm not your dad' and it was just REAL funny 

he's 31

3) we saw some carabineros (policemen) go by in a car that had 8 carabineros in it

it was a 5 seat car and they were sitting on top of each other all with grumpy faces (specifically the grumpy face that Jeffrey makes)

Jeffrey's grumpy face

4) the same investigator that i asked if she felt like a woman got a dog that has the head of a pug and the body of a husky

I JUST CANT EVEN EXPLAIN TO YOU MY FEELINGS CONCERNING THAT DOG

---i just thought of the name of the email and it has to do with a few things: part 1) the other day we saw a pair of blind men walking together but one was leading the other and i just said in my mind 'the blind leading the blind' and chuckled to myself but actually it was so sweet <3 part 2) our convert Jean Marco baptized a convert of the other sisters in our ward on Sunday and it was so awesome and so amazing :D---

okay but anyway, let's talk a little bit more about things that matter a little bit more :)

This week was such a great week. It was just really great and we made a lot of progress and learned a lot of things. It's really quite interesting, the other day in our companionship inventory, I asked Hna García for suggestions to get better and she said 'but how am I supposed to tell you what to do? you're finishing your mission; you already do it all well'

and i was like 'no hahahaha there are SO many things i need to improve'

and then i started thinking more deeply about it and thinking about how it relates to my life in the long run and in the long run, we always will have something to improve. I thought i had weaknesses before the mission but something that i've realized in the mission is that i have WAY MORE WEAKNESSES THAN I THOUGHT but that's a good thing! because it means i've got nowhere to go but up! and it's the same for all of us and for our whole lives. sometimes we think that we are going to reach the point of perfection, but somebody once explained to me that perfection isnt a place you reach, perfection is an upward battle. Perfection is walking up a down escalator forever; there isnt a time when you get to rest or you'll start going down. that's how our progress goes in our lives and that's why it is so important to always be strong in the gospel; always be looking for the weaknesses that we have to make them strong. If we let ourselves idle for even a moment, we're going to start going backwards.

we shouldnt be afraid of weaknesses either; we learn from our weakness and as we learn, we are fulfilling our purpose here on the earth. Dont be afraid of not being perfect; nobody is perfect. 

The only person that has ever been perfect in the history of forever has been Jesus Christ and we can rest easy knowing that he was perfect so that we can make mistakes; it's okay to make mistakes and to not always be right. That's how we learn. And he will always be there to help us. I encourage you all to read Alma 7 to understand more the Atonement. 

I am so grateful to know that Jesus Christ lives and that he is my Savior. I know that He has restored his gospel and the only thing we have to do if we want to be happy is live by his principles! I love the gospel and I love my Savior and I testify of Him. And this iI leave in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I hope you all have a super wonderful week and that you always remember to spread the gospel and live the gospel! I LOVE YOU ALL TALK TO YOU NEXT WEEK

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sharing time

Looking for investigators. :)

Well, this week has been an interesting week.

We were a little sick this week with a couple of things and so we were in the house for a real LONG TIME but it was okay because we used every minute we had outside the house to WORK WORK WORK. We found a bunch of new investigators and were able to invite them to baptism as well! We are hoping that everything goes well with them :)

but as usual, i've been thinking about something that i need to share with you all, something that has to do with sharing in and of itself.

Well, yesterday 

wait no

Sunday, I had the opportunity to give a talk in church! I was asked to speak on the blessings that we receive from sharing the gospel, so you can imagine that i may have been a little short on time in the end, but what i want to talk about is something that i did in my talk.

I'm a person that likes to share. I like to tell stories; I like to share specifically the story of my family and I have done so my whole mission. My companions all know it by heart by now as well, that we were inactive and then we came back and all the happiness and temple marriage and missions and just EVERYTHING but it is always interesting when i share my story with people, as well as when anybody else shares their story:

When we share our stories and personal experiences, it invites the Spirit, in every occasion. My momma told me that my poppi also shared his story on Sunday and sometimes, that is what makes all the difference. Especially as missionaries; many times everybody sees us as these perfect robot beings that have no problems and no past and are only here for a little bit to preach the gospel and then we just disappear into dust, but that is not the case!

Nor is it the case for ANY of us on the planet. We are all here with a common purpose; to go through our trial period and get experience, get a body, and live worthily to return with our Father in Heaven again. The things that we go through here are not just THINGS

they're not just obstacles

not just sidewalks that arent made right so there's a little lip that trips you up

the experiences that we have in this life are so that we LEARN. If we are not learning from what we are going through, it's like working without pay. And if we dont share what we have learned, it's like studying your whole life for a test that doesnt exist. 

What I'm trying to get at here people is that we are all brothers and sisters and we all need help and we have to share the experiences we have with our brothers and sisters so that they can learn as well! And so that hopefully they dont make the same mistakes that we made! 

Sometimes we are afraid to share, to open up and show the world that we are not perfect, but i've got news

we are NOT perfect

nobody

literally not a single one of us

so

stop pretending

hahaha, sometimes i catch myself pretending, but i dont need to. We never know when our testimony, when our experiences, are going to be just exactly what somebody else needs, but if we're not sharing them, we're not going to be helping anybody!

Of course, there is a time and place for everything. Sharing experiences doesnt necessarily mean sharing past transgressions or sharing regularly very spiritual experiences we have had; we must always follow the Spirit when we share our experiences, but we must always share them as well! Especially when we talk about the gospel.

I love telling the whole world about the blessings that the gospel has given me and my family, but if I didnt tell anybody, my job might be a lot harder and the people here might never want to have the gospel in their lives. 

Tell the world why you've been blessed by the gospel; show it on your face first of all; SMILE! Does the gospel really make you happy? Prove it! Be the type of person that makes people want to know Christ because they know you and the change He has made in your life. 

I love the gospel! I testify that it blesses families! And that the experiences we have here on the earth are all for a reason; God has a plan for every single one of us. He loves us and I testify of that. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that he is my Savior and Redeemer. And that I share in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I HAVE TO GO NOW BUT HAVE A GREAT WEEK I LOVE YOU ALL <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

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If you have decided that you are ready to meet with the missionaries and learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, CLICK HERE !  You'll be taken to an article with more information on how to meet the missionaries in your area.

**All of the photos are from last week's hermana activity climbing Cerro Renca.**

always look on the bright side of life

This is Sister Ward who is serving in the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission.
She is our family (Andrew's sister-in-law) and we love her and she is happy!
We are using her photo with permission because she is adorable
and Hermana Schomburg didn't send any this week.

after a few things that have happened this week, i've found myself whistling this song a whole lot, hahahaha

it has been

a week

let me just tell you

dont worry i'm still alive but there are so many THINGS that have happened and that are happening and just holy cannoli okay

let's start then

so we had our zone conference

and

i know there is SOMETHING that the Lord is trying to teach me

there has to be because this thing is just too 

i dunno, just too fishy the situation

so, we go to zone conference, which in the first place, started an hour and a half later than it usually does (???) and we were all enjoying everything and learning and the newbies were presenting themselves all that stuff and after lunch we learned more and all that and we celebrated the birthdays and then

we (we who are leaving soon) all knew what was coming after the birthdays (because the testimonies always come after the birthdays and then you sing a horrible hymn like God be with you till we meet again) and we were like 

:S

and so then they finish the birthdays and president says 'but we're really in a hurry and we're out of time, so let's have a closing prayer'

and so we prayed

AND THEY LEFT

AND NOT A SINGLE ONE OF US GOT TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE MISSION AND WE WERE ALL LIKE

'??¿¿¿???' 

AND NOBODY KNEW WHY

JUST LIKE

WHAT

and well,

para que le voy a mentir [i will not lie]

i was SUPER OUTRAGED for a little bit like

what the heck even

WHAT THE HECK EVEN

what do you mean this special moment of the mission that everybody has to go through at some point has been RIPPED AWAY FROM ME what is even HAPPENING WHERE IS THE JUSTICE

and then i was really sad after that like

whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy why has this happened to meeeeeeeeeeee 

and we went back to the sector and we worked and then when we had our break at 6 and i just layed down and looked at the wall like

what has my life come to

what am i doing

and then after that we worked for the rest of the night and then i started to think real like

okay hermana Schomburg

is it that big of a deal?

but it didnt help that also the rest of the missionaries were outraged or sad because they didnt get to see their old friends say goodbye and everything but i really started thinking and until very recently, i thought that i had found the answer

i thought 'well, with all of the things I've done in my mission and all the spiritual experiences and everything that has happened here, i could never do it all justice with one simple testimony'

because it's true; a WHOLE LOT OF THINGS have happened while i've been here; i've had a whole truck load of spiritual experiences, and a million other things, but in reality, everything that i've done here can be summed up simply

I know that Jesus Christ lives and is our Savior, and that this is His restored gospel and His church and living it's principles of faith and repentance, and the receiving of sacred ordinances like baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring until the end is the only way we are going to be able to fulfill our Father in Heaven's plan for us to live eternally with him, Jesus Christ, and our families. 

or if you want something even more simple,

I know that Jesus Christ lives.

That's all. 

I think i was too focused on what i was going to say, how i was going to include the biggest number of facts and stories in a short time that i didnt realize what i really needed to do. Exactly what i've been doing; testify of Christ. Nothing that I have done in the mission has been thanks to my own efforts or my own knowledge or my own strength; it has been all thanks to what my Lord and Savior has given me. This is His work, not mine. This is His vineyard, not mine. This has been His mission, not mine.

I think that maybe Heavenly Father knew what was going on in my head and said 'nonono, you are mistaken young grasshopper, this is notyour time to shine' 

The scriptures say that we must be a light unto the world, but our light does not come from ourselves. Our light is the light of Christ; it's His light that shines; we are just the vessel. 

So, let us all be a vessel to shine the light of Christ to the world; this isn't about us and our light; it's a whole lot bigger than that. 

I know that Jesus Christ lives! He is my Savior and my Master; I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and all of us and has given us a way to return to Him. I know without a shadow of a doubt that this gospel is true and that it has been restored by Christ himself through a modern prophet, Joseph Smith. I testify that we have a prophet on the earth today, Thomas S. Monson, and i testify that families really can be together forever. I love this gospel; I love my Savior, I love my family, I love the mission! And this I leave you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

And that's all for today! I'm early today because we're going to go climb a hill! Cerro Renca :D and i'm sorry for the lack of photos

also

i received my flight information today 

D:

but anyway, I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH AND WISH YOU A WONDERFUL WEEK

AND ALSO A HAPPY 4TH OF JULY THAT WAS YESTERDAY AND JUST A HAPPY EVERY DAY FOREVER AND ALWAYS 

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Beautiful hermanas headed to Zone Conference