Hard Goodbyes, Adventurous Beginnings

Surprise gifts from ward members

Just in this past week SO much has changed.

-After being in Ecatepec for nearly nine months (my whole mission except for the CCM), I got moved to the opposite side of the mission. Saying goodbye to wonderful members and investigators was one of the hardest things I have ever done.

-I now live like a 10 minute walk from the temple!!! It is the best thing ever.

-I was called to be a Sister Training Leader and am super excited to serve the Lord and a wonderful zone of hermanas!

Happiness Moments:

-We are whitewashing an area and have no idea where we are, and last night we ended up taking public transportation WAY outside of our area. But it was the best adventure ever. Literally angels were helping us find our way and then we found the first counselor in the mission presidency and he bought us tacos. :)

-When we went to buy groceries today, we accidentally told the taxi driver the wrong way to get home... we decided to just walk from there because we didn't think it was that far.... and then we pitifully carried many pounds of groceries that were falling out of their bags the rest of the way! hahahaha.

I have been thinking a lot about leadership this past week, and I started reading an interview with Elder Bednar that is called “A Conversation on Leadership.” And thus far, it has changed my life.

My favorite quote so far is, "As long as we're clueless, we're dependent on heaven."

I LOVE that. The moment we think that we can do it on our own is the moment we stop including God as much in our lives. We can see this pattern over and over again in the Book of Mormon. The pride cycle.

I felt beyond clueless as I entered my new area and became a sister training leader. After being stressed for a little bit, I realized it is really the best position to be in. I remembered once again how dependent I am on heaven, and how dependent we should all be on heaven EVERY day.

In a letter my mom sent me a little while ago, she talked about how we really should be pleading for help every day; not a day should go by without pleading and counseling with our loving Father in Heaven who will help us every step of the way. :)

No matter how hard the goodbyes, not matter how adventurous the beginnings, depending on heaven is what will get you through it all.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Hermana Greenwood:)

(Note from Mom: Saying goodbye to so many wonderful friends this week was incredibly difficult for Kim. Thank you to all those who showed her so much kindness! She loves you and so do we!)

The Blueprint for Happiness

Florinda's Baptism

I love being a missionary.

This past week Florinda got baptized!! Ah she is incredible. When we contacted her on the street, she originally said that she didn't want anything but that we could come over for her grandson and teach him. In our first lesson the grandson said he didn't want anything, but Flor was hungry for more. She went from smoking 7 cigarettes a day to only half of one in one week. She went from almost never leaving her house to calling members and begging them to give her rides to the church activities. What an amazing experience to watch the Spirit work in and with people. She is one of my favorite people on this planet, and such a great example of how white and ready to harvest the field is.

Carousel Ride

A couple of weeks ago we had the INCREDIBLE opportunity to hear from Elder Cook and his wife, and a few other general authorities. Needless to say, the Spirit was abounding. One of my biggest takeaways was how the work of the Lord is a work of love.

I have found that to be so true in my mission. People respond when we treat them with love, when we treat them the way that Christ would, and the way that Heavenly Father wants.

Hermanas with a Darling Little Friend

As Elder Uchtdorf once said, "The blueprint for happiness is to believe, love, and do."

BELIEVE in God. (Mosiah 4:9)

LOVE Him. (John 4:7)

And DO what He has asked of us. (Mosiah 2:41)

This week, don't forget to BELIEVE, to LOVE, and to DO. I promise that happiness will follow. :)

Hermana Greenwood:)

Revelation, Building, Grateful

 "Living After the Manner of Happiness" Moments:

Conference with Elder Cook

-Hna Tukuafu: "Sometimes I'm really sassy, sometimes I´m really aggressive, and sometimes I am like a dove." Me: haha what does that mean?" Hna T: "Ya know, because doves are humble."

-Our cute new investigator went and bought us flowers.

-WE CAN TALK TO OUR FAMILIES EVERY WEEK.

How grateful I am for a living prophet. How grateful I am for the modern-day revelation that he receives and that we can also receive personal revelation.

Hermanas Greenwood, Soto, Tukuafu

I have been thinking a lot as a missionary about establishing the church, and how I can better do that. And as pondering upon that this past week I was reminded of a sign that I once saw hanging in my Dad's office at work. It says something like, "If you want to build a company, you need to build the people." And that is exactly what it is to establish the church.

In order to build the Church of Jesus Christ here on the earth, we need to build the people.

Orson F. Whitney: "No pain that we suffer, no trial we experience, is wasted."

Hermanas Tukuafu, Greenwood, Rice, Carter

Kent F. Richards: "Opposition is part of Heavenly Father's plan of happiness. We all encounter enough to bring us to an awareness of our Father's love and of our need for the Savior's help."

Richard G. Scott: "When the Lord speaks of rebellion, He speaks of punishment. When the Lord speaks of weakness, it is always with mercy."

Dale G. Renlund: "Everyone has the right to express his or her opinion, but no one has a license to be hateful toward others."

David O. McKay: "True Christianity is love in action."

Let us always remember to act upon the beautiful revelation received and build those around us.

 How grateful I am to have the knowledge of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

How grateful I am to be a missionary.

I love you all!!!

Hermana Greenwood:)

Beautiful Mess

"Living After the Manner of Happiness" Moments:

Kim's camera is having trouble again.

-Hna Tukuafu: "I know how to text a boy... but it scares me to text an investigator!"

-We aren't allowed to leave the house after 8:30 unless we are with members... but we really wanted cookies. So we asked the members we live with to accompany us to the store and we all bought some cookies. :) (And my shoe and sock combination is a new trend I am starting in Mexico. Hopefully the photo will come next week.)

Life is a mess. We mess up on the daily (at least I do) and sometimes that's all that I can focus on. After I fall down I sit and stare at the ground and focus on how much it hurt to fall, and how hard it would be to get back up.

Life is beautiful. There are miracles to see every day. When we look at the wonderful people that surround us and the beautiful world God has created for us, we remember how truly blessed we are.

These are photos from the day Kim opened her mission call (over a year ago).

Life is a beautiful mess. We live in a fallen world, but oh how beautiful it is. We don't have to take the world on our shoulders, because Christ overcame the world, and it is in Him we can trust.

As my brother Landon says, "Attitude is taking the circumstances around us and choosing what emotion to have through it all."

It's fun to look back. This week she hits her halfway mark!

We don't have to be perfect. President Nelson reminds us of that as he said, "Be patient with yourself. Perfection comes not in this life, but in the next life. Don't demand things that are unreasonable, but demand of yourself improvement. As you let the Lord help you through that, He will make the difference."

Remember to have patience (D&C 123:17), rely on Christ (John 16:33), and focus on the good (Moroni 7:16). We may not be perfect, but we can surely change our attitude to enjoy this beautiful mess in which we live.

Have a wonderful week!!

Hermana Greenwood:)

Dandelions

I don't have much time today but I just wanted to share this little story with you to remind you all that God is real, and that He is aware of us and loves us very much.

There was one particular day this week where absolutely nothing was going right. We were running late to an appointment, finally made it and found out they weren't there, and then ran into a couple of people who definitely could have been a lot nicer, and it was really hot, and there was so much to be done still, and I remember feeling extremely frustrated.

I remember thinking about how I can't do the Lord's work without His Spirit, so I was praying in my head and heart that I would be able to find the joy through all of this, and better enjoy the moment.

The next corner we turned, I found a dandelion. (For those who don't know, I absolutely love dandelions, because blowing the little seeds always makes me smile.) I almost teared up looking at the little thing in the ground.

One of my best friends who is also serving a mission told me, "The best way to prepare for the future is to enjoy the now." Maybe for you, you need to look for the roses, maybe it is finding a penny on the ground, but there is always a way to enjoy the now.

Remembering Christ, His love and friendship, is the best way that we can find joy in whatever life throws at us.

I love you all!

Hermana Greenwood:)

Food for the Righteous

Maria's Baptism

"Living After the Manner of Happiness" Moments:

-*jamming out to an awesome 80's song in the street while waiting for a member* Hna. Tukuafu:"Is this a Mexican song or does it belong to YOUR people?" Haha, I sure do love "my" people in the US. ;)

-Learned how to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in Tongan. I am officially partially American, Mexican, and Tongan.

-Maria GOT BAPTIZED. Wow she is amazing. She can't stop telling us how much the Gospel of Christ has changed her life and how happy she is. She truly radiates the light of Christ.

Hermanas Greenwood & Tukuafu with Maria

The majority of this week was absolutely amazing. And the only parts that weren't amazing were when I wasn't looking for the miracles that were right under my nose.

In the little book that I have to write my "happiness" moments, I decided to also write all of the tender mercies and ways that I have seen the Lord's hand in my life. I have tried this time after time in the past, and usually stop doing it after a week or so. But this past week, seeing the difference it made in my attitude has rejuvinated my motivation to do it again.

Study Area

I want to share something with you that my Grandma and Grandpa told me this past week in their email to me:

"Though Satan loves to discourage, he never seems to realize that it usually turns out to be food for the righteous, because stronger faith comes from overcoming what he has presented.  The Lord turns all of Satan's antics into benefits."

Cleaning up after the washer FLOODED

I know it gets hard, it gets hard because Satan is very real. But God is real too, and the power of His love will always win. Always remember to turn to Heavenly Father in the times of trouble. He will fill you with strength and love. It is the best food you could ever have.

You are all so wonderful!!! Have an amazing week!!!

Love, Hermana Greenwood:)

"Vi una columna de luz..."

Hermanas Greenwood & Xique DRENCHED

Update on the logistical stuff:

-I was training Hna Xique whose original mission is in the Dominican Republic. She got her visa last week, and is headed out. Saying goodbye to her involved many tears, but man am I grateful for her goodness. She is amazing.

Down Time (or Up Time)

-We were living in a house with four of us, and Hermana Soto (the lovely companion I had trained before this cycle) has been having knee problems, so she got transferred to the visitor's center in our mission. So I am now finishing the training of the lovely Hermana Tukuafu (from Tonga)!!

Very afraid of getting her hair cut

Update on the spiritual goodness:

This past week I had interviews with my Mission President. As I explained to him some of the struggles that I have been having with feeling down or discouraged, I related it to the story of Joseph Smith. He challenged me to go home and re-read Joseph Smith History (at least the part where the first vision occurs), find the steps he took to pray in faith, and take the same steps.

Lots of unwanted layers

I did as my mission president wisely suggested. I found myself kneeling on the floor in the bathroom (the only place where you can be alone in the mission;) ), pouring out my soul unto God.

Words can't describe what I felt. The feelings of doubt and fear were overcome by comfort, love, and peace. I may not have seen a pillar of light, I may not have physically seen an angel, but the power I felt was undeniable.

I testify of God's power and of His love for each of us. He commands us to "pour out our souls" (Alma 34) unto Him, and just a few nights ago I discovered why He pleads with us to do so.

But still plenty long

I invite all of you to find out why our loving Heavenly Father has asked us to POUR out our souls unto Him. And I would love to hear about your experiences. Heavenly Father loves you and is patiently waiting to hear from you and to fill you with His love.

Happiness and joy that you can't even imagine awaits you. Go and get it. :)

Love, Hermana Greenwood