Tuesday, November 26, 2013

It's Time to Move On - November 25



I´m so so so sorry but this email is going to be short. We´re running really low on time today because we have a lot to get done before I leave. Yes, I’m being transferred. I´ve got some big changes coming my way next transfer. Looks like I’m leaving my are and going to the Promised Land!!!!!! I´m so stinking excited but I´m also heartbroken to be leaving this area. I didn´t realize how much I love this place and the people until I was told that I have to leave. A piece of my heart still resides in Elche and now another piece will always remain here. 
 
My new companion only has two transfers left in the mission so I’m really excited to work with her. That´s not the only change though.....I´ve been called as a SHE which is a sister trainer. It´s the new leadership position that the church put into action this summer for sister missionaries.  Also, you know how last week I said that I wouldn´t be training this transfer? Well, looks like I was wrong. Along with our other responsibilities, will be training a new sister together. I´m literally in shock! SO many changes in just one transfer. I know that it´s going to be a big challenge but I’m really excited to face it because I think it will be a fun one. It´s another mountain to climb but I have a feeling that the view is going to be breathtaking!
 
I am so incredibly grateful for the time I’ve had here. It has changed me. It helped me grow and taught me so much. I remember my first two weeks here in this pueblo as if it were yesterday. I remember walking down the streets and knocking on doors 9 hours a day, every day of the week. I remember how many doors were slammed in our face and how many people told us what scum we were. I remember how difficult and discouraging it was. Back then I could have never imagined the growth and miracles that we would one day see. Just look what the Lord has done here. We have a baptism this Sunday and another 3 at the end of December! The Lord has been there every step of the way and there´s no way I can deny that. He led those who were prepared for his gospel to us and us to them. He provided a way for us to do what seemed impossible. I may not have been the best missionary here but I truly feel like I’ve done all that the Lord needed me to do here and that it´s time to move on. I will miss these people and this pueblo so much but I feel like I’ve gotten enough closer to end this adventure and head out to start a new one.
 
Adventure is out there!
Love you all! Come what may and love it
Hermana israelsen
 
Warmer weather here I come!!!!!!!


ALL THINGS GOOD COME WITH TIME AND EFFORT – Nov. 18


 GUESS WHAT?!??!! We had another family make the decision to be baptized!!! They will be baptized together next month! We´re so incredibly happy! The work here has progressed so much! I was looking through my agenda of our first two weeks here in this area and I actually started laughing. The difference between now and 12 weeks ago is astronomical! Haha! The Lord has truly put forth His hand and brought us to those who have been prepared for the gospel!
We found more people to teach this week and had a bunch of people come to church with us on Sunday! It´s incredible to see! The branch is getting more and more excited and has started to really get involved in the missionary work here. We´re all working as one big team to find those people in this village who need peace and joy in their lives right now. We have been working hard with a few less active members who have started to reactivate themselves again in the branch. We get to see the light come back into their eyes! I´ve seen for myself that all good things come with time and effort. AHHHH!!! I’m soooooo happy! Sometimes I’ll just be walking down the street and have the urge to scream ¨I love being a missionary!¨ But then I stop myself because I realize that no one would understand....cause it´s in English. ME ENCANTA SER UNA MISIONERA! There...that fixes that problem. 
It is absolutely FREEZING here!!!! I thought I was in Spain not Russia!!!! Ok, it´s probably just cold to me because I finally got used to the Spanish heat. I´m being a baby, I know, but I thought I’d just let you all know that it´s cold on this side of the world too. Just in case any of you were wondering!
Ok, so good story of the week. So we were inside an investigator´s piso (apartment) teaching a lesson and all of the sudden a little brown thing darted across the floor. My companion whispered into my ear, ¨I think that was a squirrel.¨ I told her that there was no way that it was a squirrel and that it was probably just their dog or something. Lo and behold a fluffy squirrel jumps up onto my lap and just looks up at me. A SQUIRREL!!! Yes, you are correct. They do indeed have a pet squirrel. Not like a domesticated squirrel from the pet-store but a squirrel that lives in the forest. I´m here to tell you that there´s nothing more distracting during a lesson than having a squirrel running laps around everyone´s heads in the room. My companion and I could not handle ourselves. We were laughing so hard and so was the family. We loved every second of it. Haha
This week was another fantastic week in the service of the Lord! I worked hard, made mistakes, tried again, got discouraged, found strength in the lord, had faith, and found success. We don´t have to be perfect. We´re going to fall down, sometimes every single day, but that´s where we get to show our strength and faith in the Lord. Are we going to sit down and complain about all of the things that made us fall and blame the Lord for letting us stumble, or are we going to take the Lord´s extended hand and get back up? If you are frustrated because you keep falling even though you are trying so hard, take hope. We learn something new each and every time we fall. Let the Lord pick you back up, brush you off, and get you back on track. I love this work and I love the Lord.
Remember to try a little harder today to be a little better than you were yesterday.
LOVE YOU ALL!!
Hermana Israelsen


“I GLORY IN TRIBULATIONS” – Joseph Smith November 4, 2013



This past week, I spent a lot of time studying about the trials of our faith. I thought about Joseph Smith and how he learned to glory in tribulation. As a I thought about Joseph and his incredible attitude, I began to think about my own trials and how each one has so profoundly affected my life for the better. I spent a lot of time thinking about the trials that I have gone through since coming to Spain and I can clearly see the purpose of each and every one of them now. So today I thought that I´d take the opportunity to share with all of you some of the things I have learned as I have passed through some refiner´s fires.

- Being isolated from other missionaries and feeling so alone. The language barrier didn´t help in the beginning either because I literally couldn´t communicate with anyone. In those moments when I felt so utterly alone, my Savior came to my side. I learned for myself that the Lord will never abandon us. He walked alone so that we would never have to. I developed a deeper and stronger relationship with my lord and savior than ever before because sometimes he was literally the only person I could talk to. I can tell my Heavenly Father everything through prayer and he always listens. He blesses me with his love and peace in those times when I feel like I am forgotten. He let me know that he is aware of me through the little tender mercies that happen each and every day. 
- The struggles at home as my amazing sister went through a very difficult trial while I was in the MTC. I learned for myself that the Lord can truly make our burdens light. When my soul was wracked with pain and sorrow the Lord filled me with comfort and hope. The Lord gave me faith and a knowledge that everything would be ok and that it was all in His hands. I felt the atonement in action. The Lord made my burdens light and took away some of the pain and anguish as I turned to him. I also learned to look outside of myself and help others while I myself was struggling. I found that focusing on others is one of the greatest ways that we can find relief to our own struggles and pains. It´s amazing how effective it is!
- Opening up a new area for hermanas. The Lord truly humbled me and stripped me down to the core so that he could build me into what he needed me to be. I learned to find joy in the journey.
-Being asked to train a new sister after only having 6 weeks in the field. I don´t think you understand how absolutely terrifying that was for me. I am not kidding when I say that I still couldn´t understand ANYTHING of what people were saying to me when I got dumped on my own to train. Those were the most TERRIFYING 2 months of my entire life. Walking out the door every day almost brought me to tears but I did it. Just getting out of bed in the morning was an act of faith. I faced anxiety, depression, and fear that I have never faced before in my life and I never want to face again but I truly learned how to put ALL of my trust and confidence in the Lord to face my fears and do what I knew was right. I learned how to say, ¨not my will be done but thinĂ©¨. I learned how to say, ¨Thank you Lord, for loving me enough to cut me down¨. Those were two of the hardest months that I have ever had to face in my entire life but they made me grow faster than anything else. My motto those few months was 1 Nephi 3:7. If the Lord asks me to do it than he will provide a way. I am living proof that the Lord will ALWAYS provide a way for us to do what he asks. Nothing is impossible with the Lord.
- My struggle with the language has taught me to have patience with myself. I´ve come to know how to learn by the spirit and ask for divine help when I am incapable of something on my own. I have come to develop a strong testimony that all good things come with time and effort.

-Getting incredibly sick in the field. I saw a miracle. I saw evidence that the Lord provides miracles in this day and age. There is nothing else to describe it other than a miracle. I also developed a testimony of the power of prayer. I know without a doubt that the Lord gave me that miracle because of all of the prayers from home. It was the faith and love of those prayers that provided me with a miracle. Thank you!!!!
-Opening another new area and training. It has been difficult but I have learned a lot. We get rejected and yelled at each and every day but I have learned to love it. I´m proclaiming the reality of our Heavenly Father and our Savior and I don´t care if people think I’m crazy. I only care what the Lord thinks of me. It´s His view of me that matters. I have learned the importance of diligence and faith. That sometimes the Lord has to test us to make sure that we will be faithful in all things and then he will bless us. 
First comes the trial of our faith and then comes the blessings.

I remember praying for a trial of my faith in the MTC. That was the prayer that changed my life forever. I will forever be grateful for that prayer because it has made me into who I am today. Like it says in 1 Peter 1:7 my trials have become more precious to me than gold. They have changed me inside and out. I wouldn´t know the Lord like I do without them and that is a gift that is more precious than anything else on this earth.
Love you all!!! The Lord lives and I love what I’m doing!!! I glory in tribulations!!! LOVE YOU!!!
Hermana Israelsen

Monday, October 28, 2013

All Good Things Come With Time and Effort – October 28, 2013




This last week was phenomenal!! We found more people who have been carefully prepared to receive the gospel and we´re so happy!

In the last 2 and a half weeks we have found 19 people to teach! I can´t begin to explain how much of a heaven sent miracle that is. The Lord needed to try our faith to see if we would indeed be faithful in all things before he could trust us with some of these elect children. After 6 weeks of finding absolutely no one and coming home absolutely exhausted every single day the Lord has finally decided that we can be trusted and is leading us to people who are ready for the gospel!

We have found someone new to teach almost every single day for the past week or two! It´s incredible! I can´t begin to describe what joy it brings me! It´s still hard out here. People still yell at us every day and tell us what a waste of space we are but I could care less because we´re bringing people to Christ! Things are finally coming together here. I know it has to do a lot with all of the prayers from home. Thank you to each and every one of you who has kept my companion and I in your prayers. You are playing a huge part in the work of the Lord over here in Spain. Without your prayers I don´t know if we would be finding as many people to teach. Thank you! 

So earlier my companion and I were planning a Halloween party for our branch. After talking about Halloween for so long it´s only natural that you have the urge to scare someone. So that´s what we spent the night doing - scaring each other. My Companion hid in our shower that night and just about gave me a heart attack. I vowed to get revenge on her and she just laughed thinking nothing of it.

The next night, night while she was brushing her teeth I set up my bed so it looked like I was already asleep in it. I put pillows and towels under the sheets to make it look like I was in it. So she finishes brushing her teeth, comes into our room, says her prayers, and turns out the light thinking that I’m already asleep. What she didn´t know is that I was in the closet. I waited for about 5 minutes in the closet and then began to tap on the door. I continued to scratch and tap the closet door until she sat up and said ¨what is going on?!?!¨ She flipped on the lights really quickly to see what was happening but found nothing wrong. Thinking I was still asleep she turned the lights back off and tried to go back to bed. Again, I began to scratch and tap the door until she tried to wake me up, or wake up what she thought was me. She screamed when she realized that I wasn´t under the covers and then screamed again when I threw open the closet and asked her why she was still up. We both fell to the floor laughing! We stayed up WAY too late that night laughing. Man, I love this companionship! 

My sweet companion sprained her ankle this morning so we´ve been working on getting that fixed. It´s just lucky that I’m going into physical therapy for my career. I´ve worked with quite a lot of sprained ankles so it´s not a problem at all. We´ve got her all bandaged up and good to go.

Over the past 7 months I’ve learned a LOT. One of the things that has been carved into my heart is that all good things come with time and effort. I truly know that now.  Things are going great! I love this work with all of my heart, mind, and soul!

Come what may and love it!!!! 
Hermana Israelsen

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

A GREAT AND A MARVELOUS WORK – October 21, 2013


Random little notes. I just realized this last week that somehow my residency got messed up here and instead of only being a resident until next year I will be a resident of Spain until 2018! SWEET! Looks like I’ll be staying here a little longer than I thought. Just kidding.
 
Another side note. The only thing about being in a branch rather than a ward is that there aren´t as many people to help out with stuff.  It gives me more opportunities to serve and get to know the members. I love my branch!
Well, now to the bulk of the email. This week was full of miracles and learning. Last Monday I hit rock bottom. I was so discouraged and frustrated with myself. I was frustrated that the area wasn´t progressing, that the language wasn´t as good as I want it to be, and that I just wasn´t as good as I thought the lord wanted me to be. All of my weaknesses seemed to be amplified and I couldn´t help but feel like a huge failure. I fell to my knees in prayer and pleaded to my Father in Heaven to help me know that he still loved me. I talked to him for almost an hour in prayer and did not stop praying until my sorrows and frustrations were replaced with peace and understanding. As I was praying to my Father in Heaven, I began to recognize all of the things I had already overcome. I was filled with a peace and comfort that I can´t quite put into words. Somehow I knew, deep within my being, that the lord was proud of me. That he was happy with my desires to serve him and become better. I´m not perfect, nor will I ever be perfect in this life but the Lord is still pleased with my little efforts each day in which I try to become more like Him. In that moment when I thought that I had completely failed everyone and that I wasn´t a good missionary, the atonement stepped in. I had a very personal moment with my Heavenly Father in which I came to know that I’m not done learning. There´s still so much more that I have to learn and overcome here and I’m not leaving until I do so. The Lord has so much in store for each and every one of us. He loves us. Even when we don´t deserve it. 
The work is progressing here! Miracles are happening and the Lord is leading us to his elect! This last week we found 2 more families to teach and another woman who has been so carefully prepared by the Lord! Our efforts and prayers over the last 7 weeks are starting to be answered. We´re finding people who are ready for the fullness of the gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This work is so much bigger than me. I am seeing the great and marvelous work of the Lord come forth. 
This week has been a big week of reflection for me. I´ve been thinking about my family a lot and how I’m so blessed to be able to be with them for eternity thanks to the covenants we have made in the temple. Not only do I get to be with my family for eternity but I’m here to help others do the same.
The definition of a missionary: someone who leaves their family for a short time so that others can be with their families for eternity. That´s why I’m here. I´m here to bring others to the knowledge of their Savior and help them live in the presence of their Heavenly Father with their families forever. I love this work and I love the Lord!
Try a little harder to be a little better and come what may and love it!

Love,
Hermana Israelsen

Monday, October 14, 2013

TRY A LITTLE HARDER TO BE A LITTLE BETTER – October 14, 2013




After an awesome week last week I guess it´s only natural that Satan wanted to try to tear us down before we could get this place going. This last week was probably the longest week of the mission so far. We had a lot of laughs and saw plenty of tender mercies each day but it was still a very long week. We ended up knocking on doors and talking with people in the streets all day, every day this week because no one was able to meet with us.  It´s all a part of the experience. Tough days can either make us bitter or better and I´m really trying to become better from the tough weeks. It´s a work in progress. Haha. We did see some tender mercies though so it wasn´t a bad week...just a long one. haha.

Some great news. One of our investigators from Elche who we had been working with to get her baptized right before I left was just baptized last week! I almost cried when I found out! AH! I’m so happy for her!

One thing that kept going through my mind this week is the phrase by President Hinckley “try a little harder, to be a little better¨. I´ve tried to make that my motto this week because that´s what the Lord asks of us. He doesn´t expect us to be perfect tomorrow. All that he asks is that you try a little bit harder to become a little more like him. But if I can look back at the day and say that I tried just a little bit harder to improve myself than I know that the Lord is proud of me.

I´m so incredibly grateful for the opportunity I have to be here. No matter how long or difficult the day was I can lie down in my bed with a heart full of gratitude for the experiences of the day because each one brings me a little closer to my savior. How lucky are we to have the atonement in our lives. Through it we can start each day brand new. We can try again each day to become a little more like the Savior.

One important thing to remember though is that we´re not perfect and the Lord doesn´t expect us to be perfect but he does expect us to try our very best. We repent and try again. So with all of that said that´s my new motto:  try a little harder each day to be a little better than I was the day before. Little by little.

I´m incredibly happy representing the Savior and talking to everyone I meet about my Savior. I love my Savior and I love the gospel. That´s why I’m doing what I’m doing. I want to be an instrument in His hands. Love you all! 

Hermana Israelsen



One of the beautiful streets here. Old fashioned Spain

Monday, October 7, 2013

Beautiful  Spain

Fear Not, Only Believe - October 7, 2013



Thank you everyone for all of the birthday wishes! My birthday was seriously amazing! I had such a good day! First off, we got to watch the General Relief Society session which was incredible! We then found a new family to teach! It was a complete miracle! We were knocking on doors, a woman answered and said that she was too busy for us. We felt very strongly that we needed to stay there so we started teaching her right there through her doorway. After a few minutes she invited us in and we began to teach her. She was so receptive to everything we taught and had been prepared by the Lord to receive His message. She has three kids and a husband so she asked us to return to teach them too. We were so incredibly excited! I couldn´t have asked for a better birthday gift!

After that we went to a few more appointments and taught our English class. Our English class is finally starting to fill up!!! It´s a complete miracle! One cool story. The other night my companion and I were walking down the street talking when a kid ran up to us and asked us what language we were speaking in. I said English and he got super excited! He then began to rattle off the little phrases in English he knew and before we knew it his older brother came over to talk to us too. We told them both about our English classes and they were so excited! We were talking with them when all of the sudden a guy rides by on his bike, hears us teaching them a little English, and immediately stops. He comes over and starts to talk to us in English. We were so shocked! It turns out that he studied English for a year or two and has been looking for ways to practice his English so that he could get a job in England but hasn´t been able to find any that he can afford. After a super funny discussion with them they all told us that they´d come to our English classes and bring all of their friends. Well, guess what? They all came and even brought their friends! It was awesome! COMPLETE miracle! The Lord literally placed them directly in our path.

After English class we traveled over to a member´s home to have a noche de hogar (family home evening) but it turns out that it was all a ploy and that they were throwing a surprise party for me with the whole branch! It was the nicest thing ever!!!! Don´t worry we still got to have a noche de hogar and teach some lessons. I love my branch sooooooo much! They all have a special place in my heart even though there aren´t that many of them.

Conference was AMAZING!!! We listened to all of the sessions in Spanish which was actually really cool! I finally feel ok with the language because I was able to understand all of the talks without much of a problem. POR FIN (at last!!) Conference never fails to humble me out and bring me to my knees at the feet of my Savior. WHY IS CONFERENCE SO COOL?!?!?!

This week was by far the best week that we´ve had here! Truly full of miracles! We found an additional family to teach this week so if you´re counting we found two full families to teach this week!!! WE FINALLY HAVE PEOPLE TO TEACH!!!! hahahahahah! We couldn´t be more excited! We put forth every effort we had to find people to teach this week and the Lord answered us ten-fold. We entered this week with a lot of fasting and prayer in order to be able to find someone to teach. We worked morning to night to find the elect and bring them to the Savior. We even gave up lunch time some days to keep looking (don´t worry we still took a few minutes to eat!). We put forth every effort and energy that we had and the Lord answered our prayers. We saw miracle after miracle this week! I love it here! It´s hard and there still isn´t a whole lot of work going on but we´re talking to everyone we can and taking every opportunity to serve that we see. The best thing that we can do here is act as the Savior´s hands and do as He would do, say what He would say, and love as He would love. That´s all I want to do! Be an instrument in the hands of my Lord and Savior.

So the lessons I learned this week are: If we but move forward with faith the Lord will provide miracles, that fear and doubt are the opposite of faith, and that through God all things are possible. Miracles come AFTER the trial of our faith. First comes the faith and then comes the miracles. I love this work and I love my Savior!

Fear not, only believe!
Hermana Israelsen