SUCCESSFUL WEEK!!

Dear Family,

I LOVED talking to you guys so much. Thanks for the family prayer, I miss those. I hope you LOVED Christmas, because Hna. Ribeiro and I definitely loved it. There is a true spirit during the Christmas time that softens the heart of the people. This week, we invited 9 people to be baptized!! It was SO awesome. Only 2 accepted dates, but that is okay. Our purpose is to invite, and we did that! It was so cool because when we invited them, we felt the love of the Savior there and knew that it was really Him, not us, that was inviting these people to change their lives and follow Him.

The two baptismal dates we have are named Bernarda and Jorge. They are super nice and like to listen to us. They accepted on the condition that they recieve their answer before the 23rd of January. Today we are going to go teach them about the Restauracion and the authority and power of God and what really was the apostasy. It was so cool because this morning, when we did our practices in comp study, I was testifying of the fact that they can pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ and He will answer their prayers. It was SO amazing because when I said ´´en el nombre de Jesucristo´´ I felt the Spirit testify to us the truthfullness of those words, and the true power that come when we use that name in the right way. It surprised me that we could feel the Spirit so strong in just a practice, but I feel like it was God telling us He will be there testifying through us. I LOVE following the Spirit ;D 

So this week I actually have a couple of awesome stories. First, we found a complete family!! Mom, Dad, they are married which is a miracle, and FIVE sons!!! It was SO amazing because when we taught them in the first lesson, the Spirit testified to them that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and now the parents and their two older sons all want to read the book of Mormon. We gave them 5 ;D So each could read. It was cool because Hna. Ribeiro had contacted them before, but now was their time. The bad thing is that they are going to be in Santiago for the rest of January, so we are praying that missionaries knock on their door, and that they read the BoM. As we were filling out their registro for the carpeta, I was writing about their sons, and I suddenly had a feeling ALL FIVE WOULD BE MISSIONARIES one day. I turned to my comp and told her and the Spirit also told her the same thing. I LOVE the Spirit. 

We also taught a new investigator named Alejandra who has the desire to be baptized, but she is living with a man who isn't the most faithful and doesn't want to get married, but she has two daughters and doesn't want them to grow up without a dad. I couldn´t believe the love she has for her daughters!! We testified to her that the power of prayer is real and God would give her the answer she needs. I wanted to tell her to dump the guy, but we followed the Spirit :) 

Now, a couple of funny stories. One morning (the mornings are super hard because hardly anyone wakes up before 12 if they aren´t working) we weren´t finding anyone who wanted to talk to us. I turned to my comp and said, its okay we are going to find un milagro (miracle), and we kept searching. Then, she remembered a future, but had forgotten this woman´s name, but they had given her our phone to call her daughter because she was locked out of the house. When we passed by and I asked the lady her name.... she says, Milagro. D: I just look up to the sky and laugh. I know that God has a sense of humor, while at the same time truly leads us to the people who will listen, because even though she couldn´t receive us then, she told us to come back!

The other funny story is that we were in divisions one day and were contacting at the end of the day to take advantage of every minute we have to serve the Lord. We called at one house and a man came out and started talking to us. I thought he was drunk, but he just talks slow. As we were talking and explaining who we are, he suddenly starts saying he doesn't like churches. Then, he says I don´t believe in Jesus. And at that moment, the wind blew and his door shut behind him!! He didn't have keys and his fence was also locked so he couldn´t leave! It was SO funny because we told him it was a sign he needed to come to church! After a while, my comp realized that he had a side window open, so he could enter and be safe, but it was pretty funny. Be careful what you say. 

Well, anyway, that was my awesome week. I love the mission and the chance to learn every day. I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas and that you found someone to serve :) Have an awesome week!

Love, Hna. McCubbins

SAN JAVIER, THE BEST SECTOR IN THE WORLD

Dear Family, 

So this week has basically been the best week of my life!! I LOVE San Javier, which is my new sector. It is close to the big city of Talca, but more in the campo, or countryside. We have bikes because it is GINORMOUS. We have about 17 poblaciones, and to put it into perspective, my last sector had 2 poblaciones... It is huge. My new companion Hna. Ribeiro doesn´t even know the whole area, so we get lost a lot and just end up contacting ;D It is awesome. She is from BRASIL!!! I have to say, she is my fourth companion from Brasil, and I have fallen in love with that country and I LOVE being companions with Brazilenians. They work super hard and are SUPER funny. Also, I am learning Portugese a little bit, and we have little conversations in Portugese now, like To com fome. That means I´m hungry ;D But don´t worry mom, we don´t get hungry a lot. They feed us well here. We just like to say things like that. However, I am seriously thinking of learning Portugese after the mission. Maybe uncle John can help me ;D 

Anyway, I LOVED this week. I have a couple of stories to tell, so just hold on. First, we were contacting one day in the night because we had passed by everyone that was in our plans and we decided to just let the Lord take us where He wanted. So we contacted a couple of people, gave them some of the little cards that have the christmas video link and laughed a lot (because that is what me and Hna. Ribeiro do, we laugh and smile). Then, Hna. Ribeiro felt that we shouild talk to a joven of about 14 years, so we did! His name is Vicente and he had just come from a pool with his family, but had left before them to get home, and they were on the way. It was a normal contact, nothing too special. We gave him a Christmas video card and left, and saw his family on bikes as we were leaving. To not be awkward, we just waved and smiled at them, thinking in our heads we would just pass by another day. But THEN, we were eating lunch yesterday in the house of a member named Eduardo (his story I will tell after) and as we were finishing lunch, IN WALKS VICENTE!!!! I looks over at us and we at him and Hna. Ribeiro and I (both at the same time because we are connected already) say, Hey are you named Vicente. His grandpa, Eduardo looks at us and asks how we knew!!! We explained it all and in walks Vicente´s parents, Eduardo´s son and his wife. WE WERE SO BLOWN AWAY!! We talked a little bit and then they had to leave, but they said we would see them later!!! IT WAS A MIRACLE!! It is SO cool what happens when we follow the Spirit. The world is SO small. After that Eduardo told us that the mom of Vicente came to Eduardo´s baptism and said she felt like one day she would join the church. We feel now is her time!! But only the Lord knows. It was SO cool!! 

Anyway, so Eduardo is about 70 years old and was baptized 2 years ago!! He is married to a SUPER Catholic woman, who is SUPER nice, but I think that fact that her husband changed religions made her be more catholic because there are SO many saints (they call them santitos) in her house!! As if to say to us, the missionaries, I am Catholic and won´t change, so don´t even try. But she is SUPER nice and makes lunch for us every Sunday, and she cooks SO good, and super healthy. It was so cool to talk to Eduardo about why he decided to get baptized. He got to the point in the catholic religion where he was going to be sacerdote, priest I think? But he said this religion really helped him come to know Jesus because the catholic church doesn´t force anyone to keep the commandments, so really anyone can be catholic. He loves the Book of Mormon and is truly converted. I love when we meet people like that :) I think that is what lacks a lot in a society where there are a lot of mormons, conversion. Where someone lives the religion because they have come to know Jesus, truly. If you haven´t found your conversion yet, I invite you to read the book of mormon, pray with your heart, and go to church to learn what God would have you change in your life, not to just listen and continue on with your life the rest of the week. It is SO cool what happens when we actually live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Everyday, I am trying to ask myself in my personal study, what would God have me learn here, or change, to become more like Him? Try it, it is SUPER cool what happens ;D

So, that was our week, I love serving here. It is a little branch where about 60 people come to church every week. And they are humble countryside people, which is even cooler, because God doesn´t judge us by the statuses of man, but by our potencial to become like Him. Our branch president has the biggest smile I´ve ever seen in my life. I think his face has frozen with that smile because he has it even when he is serious. I am excited to work here, and I actually am praying that I finish my mission here. I don´t want to go anywhere else, but I will go where the Lord sends me. 

You all are super awesome. I hope you find someone to serve this Christmas season. Our branch president, on Sunday, talked about how we aren´t celebrating our birthday, we are celebrating the Savior´s birthday, and we need to find a worthy gift to give Him. In the Liahona for December, Pres. Monson talked about visiting people in hospitals, who (a lo mejor) wouldn´t recieve visits from their families. Find someone this week who needs to feel the Savior´s love, and pray to be the tool in His hands to uplift them and share the spirit of Christmas. It is SO amazing to give to others and know that He is proud of us when we serve our fellow men who truly need it. I love you guys so much. I can´t wait to talk to you guys this week! It will be awesome!

Love ya, 

Hermana McCubbins

Beach Blonde

Dear Family,

We saw SO many miracles this week. We have been mostly contacting and we found like 7 new or future investigators that are SUPER awesome! Sadly, I am changing my sector to Talca, San Javier. I only stayed here for one change!! Hey, but I have to go!! Sorry, ran out of time! Just love life!!

Hna. McCubbins

 

Hot, but Awesome Weeks

Dear Family,

This week was super hot, and I loved it!!

We worked super hard, and I loved it!!

We felt the spirit tons, and I loved it!!

We testified of our Savior, and I loved it!!

This week we had a lesson with a less active named Rodrigo. He was the one I said would go on a mission. Well, he didn´t come to church because he stayed out until 6 in the morning partying!! We were SO disappointed. And he hadn´t read nor prayed. We started the lesson with the new christmas video about how the world would be without our Savior. We asked him if he believed Jesus was his Salvador, and honestly, he told us he wasn´t so sure. But then he asked the golden question of the century: ¿Qué puedo hacer para saber que Él es my Salvador? or in other words, What can I do to know that He is my Savior? En serio, that was my FAVORITE part of the lesson. I recognized that he was lacking in faith and all we had to do was testify of Jesus and the power of prayer and the Book of Mormon. He promised to read and pray that night. When we called to follow up on his tarea, he said he read and read a little more!!! And, this is my favorite part also, he said he felt something different!! HE FELT THE SPIRIT!! To be completely honest, after we hang up the phone, we started jumping up and down completely happy and excited for him!! It was SO awesome!! I can´t even to begin to describe how happy we are when the people complete their committments and feel the Spirit. He is going to serve a mission and change LIVES!! 

The other awesome thing that happened was that a less active hermana, who I thought was never going to progress, started reading the book of mormon all by herself!! We saw her in the street one day and she was more than happy to tell us that this time when she started reading, she actually understood what it was saying!! We were SO happy!!

The other other awesome thing that happened was that we had a family home evening with our convert family and a family of less actives because they are friends. We showed the videos of Christmas and talked about how the world would be without Christ. It was SUPER spiritual and the games we played after were SUPER fun, but that isn´t all. The next day in testimony meeting, the hermano of the less active family got up and bore his testimony about how much that fhe helped him!! It was a tender mercy for me and my comp. Then the convert family, both of the parents, got up and bore their testimonies, also tender mercy!! I ALMOST cried. ;) 

So that was my week. I hope you guys had a week full of miracles too. And if you didn´t, go out and make your life in such a way that there are miracles everyday. You just have to open your eyes and they are there. Love you!!

Hna. McCubbins

Unidad en TODO!!

Dear Family, 

To start off, read Mosiah 18:21. It basically blew my mind this morning. I love this because I have set a goal to ask myself a lot more: What would Jesus do? whenever I come up with a difficult situation. I think LOVE is always the answer. If a decision divides us, it is a bad decision. Search for unity in everything! 

This week Francisco our investigator was going to get baptized this Saturday, but he still hadn´t received his answer about Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity. When we went back to invite him to baptism again, he didn´t accept, but he is going to pray and ask God for a specific time to get baptized and call us when he receives it. In the mean time, we are going to let the Lord work on him a bit more and keep searching for new investigators. Also, we have a man named Miguel who is a Mason. He loves to search for knowledge and ask weird, difficult questions that sometimes tienen nada que ver. 

Anyway, there is not a lot to talk about this week, but I love you all a ton! Have an amazing week and follow your heart!

Hna. McCubbins

Look at the beautiful weather and beautiful sister missionaries.

Me pasó lo mismo que cuando fue la Hna KiniKini con usted en divisiones!, es usted una misionera muy Bkn! Aunque sí me da vergüenza :x, es muy graciosa :). Espero poder verla otra vez! Y prepare chistes ^^.

Que tenga una muy buena semana!

Nicol Escárate Vásquez :)

This was an investigator I was working with in Alameda. 

We helped her to drop coffee and now she got baptized!!! They are so awesome!

Awesome Zone!!!

There's a bit of a height difference.

Thanksgiving, American style!!!