HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

Sorry to anyone who may read this letter, but it is specifically for the best mom in the whole entire world.

Hey, I just wanted to write you and congratulate you on completing 25 years of age!! ;D You are really the best mom on earth. If you don´t believe it, just look at your first two kids, both are missionaries serving the Lord and working hard to bring His children unto Him. :) I love you SO much. You have supported me in EVERYTHING I have wanted to do that has been good and even more than support me, you have been my best friend in every single moment.

This week we have been helping a less active family that is going through some tough things. The mom said that the missionaries never gave her a Book of Mormon of her own, so we gave one to her and she has been reading every day!! Which is a miracle because she never got past the 4th grade and doesn't like to read. She even told us that they have been reading in the family too!! It was a small miracle that blew me away and it gave me hope that her kids will be like your kids one day. Your example and love for the gospel and loyalty to the Lord for your whole life have impacted me in ways I am still discovering.

Thanks mom for being my mom and my best friend. I know I don´t say it enough, but I love you :) I know my Savior thanks to you and dad. I stayed active in church thanks to your stubbornness and love and support and willingness to listen to me. I went on a mission because I knew you would support me 100% and even now I can keep serving because I feel safe in the fact that you are rooting and praying for me. I love you mom :) Thanks for everything and being a disciple of Christ for 25 years of life ;D 

Love,

Your Shacka Lacka ;D

A ladybug landed on me!! Here they are called Maraquitas... I think ;D 

Hermana Sarmiento made us lunch... She is SO cute!!

Weaknesses and Work

Dear Family,

So, just a small favor to ask. If everyone could just stop mentioning that I am going to come home soon, that would be great. My companion already tells me everyday that April 19th I will be in my house and she will cry because she will miss me, so if everyone else could just stop mentioning anything and everything to do with me coming home, that would help a lot. Love ya! Thanks :) 

This week we saw miracles!! An evangelical investigator who is SUPER active in his faith came to church instead of his church this Sunday!! It was a miracle! He was a little nervous because he is super humble and from the countryside, so doesn´t have all those people skills. But he said that one of the talks really got to his heart because it talked about how we need to be us and not try to be like other people. He also said that he has been reading the Book of Mormon and felt something in his chest while he was reading. I fell like he is a chosen!! It is awesome! 

Also, one of our less actives came to church out of no where! He had been telling us he would come, but never came. Then out of the blue he just showed up and said he came for Hermana Sarmiento! I was almost bursting of happiness! I love Sundays.

Anyway, I love you all. Look for the miracles and blessings this week and I promise you will be happy. :)

Love, Hermana McCubbins

Trials that make you feel like you are going to die, Keep You Alive

Dear Family,

Today I am going to introduce you to Hermana Sarmiento. She is my new companion from Barranquilla Colombia. When her mom was pregnant with her, she got sick and when Hna. Sarmiento was born, she couldn´t hear, and she could barely see. As a child she couldn´t talk, only sign to communicate with other people. When she got a little older, her parents put her into therapy so she could start recognizing sounds and use a hearing aid to learn how to talk. After about a year she learned. At this point she can talk and hear if you speak loudly, but she talks a little differently. Also with this weakness, she is a little slower at learning, but when she learns or memorizes something, she never forgets it.

She has the faith to move mountains. Her prayers penetrate the heavens. And everytime she bears her testimony to people, they know she is a messenger of God, a representative of Jesus Christ. She is 35 years old, convert of 13 years, the only member in her family of Catholics. She studied and obtained 3 degrees, her specialty being mechanical engineering in electrical systems. She also had to work 3 jobs before the mission to get enough money to go on the mission. She is exactly obedient and loves the Lord more than anyone else.

Last week, as we were waiting for the new missionaries to arrive, President Warne wanted to talk to me privately. There, in the mission house, in President´s office, I was told about my future companion and the things I would have to prepare for to help her adjust to missionary life. Coming out of President´s office, I honestly had no feelings, just numb. And to be honest, every single day this week I have cried and prayed to Heavenly Father to strengthen me and take care of the things I cannot do, because there are a lot. As I have come to know my new companion, she has become my best friend. I can honestly say that she speaks with the power of the Spirit and I know she is a literal angel from God. I feel like she is teaching me more than I could ever teach her in a lifetime. She LOVES EVERYONE that she comes into contact with. I wish you could all meet her because you would never be the same again. When you are with her, you KNOW God exists. This week has been hard, and I know every single week of this last change is going to be hard. But I am grateful for my Heavenly Father who has given me an angel to be my companion, who will change my life and the lives of those that let her into their hearts. I hope you have the chance to meet an angel here on earth. I have the hope that one day, in the Celestial Kingdom, when she is perfect, we can be neighbors in the mansions of our Father because I know she is going there and only by the grace of God will I ever even have a chance to get there. 

I love you all tons. Have an amazing week. Pray everyday, and Feast upon the Scriptures everyday. That is how you can come to know God. He loves you. I love you. Until next week.

Hermana McCubbins

This is my new companion, Hermana Sarmiento. She is ALSO from Colombia,
like my last companion Hna. Garcia. :D

New trainers meeting.

From the Mission Matron's Blog, can you spot her?

The side of Jessica's head as she helps a missionary.

Airplanes and Dads

Dear Family,

Miracle for the week: two less actives we have been teaching came to church this week!! Marcia and Sebastian are super awesome, a little crazy, and at one time they were super active, but their faith got a little weak and they fell away. But they came this Sunday! That was probably the coolest thing that happened this week. We also went to Rancagua for a meeting for the new missionaries and they talked a lot about being consecrated missionaries. I realized that being a consecrated missionary is just acting on our love for the Lord. If we truly have love for Him, then we obey the mission rules, and we serve the way He would serve. It is as simple as that :) 

This morning during companionship study we were talking about a family that has been having problems between the dad and his son (one because the son is 15 and thinks he knows everything... and two because the dad is a convert from the evangelical church so he always talks about the gospel in that way and it bugs the son). We were talking about what we could do to help and it reminded me of a time my dad and I had a fight that was really bad. I don´t remember why we were fighting, nor what happened to make us fight, but I remember that after about an hour of not talking, dad just came into my room and asked me to forgive him. Even just remembering that moment brings tears to my eyes because it showed me that he really loved me, even to the extent of humbling himself and talking to his prideful 18 year old daughter at the time. All I can remember is hugging him and now that I think about it, love is always the answer. LOVE IS ALWAYS THE ANSWER. There is a reason that the Bible says God is love. The invitation for everyone this week is to just love the people you have in your life. No one is perfect, we are all trying to be good people, but we always fall short and mess up. Just love. 

Also this morning, I received my flight plans to end my mission. Man, time flies by super fast. Enjoy every moment you have because time flies by in the blink of an eye. I know that this life is a time to have joy and prepare to meet our Heavenly Father and Savior. So  enjoy it! Love ya guys tons.

Hermana McCubbins

These two Hermanas went out together and will come home together. This was taken near the start of their missions.