The Rock

"Happiness Moments"

-Saul got baptized!!! He is amazing. I love watching people transform their lives. At the beginning, he always came to church in a sweatshirt and jeans, and this last week he came in a sweater vest and slacks! And it has been so cool to watch him make so many sacrifices to follow Christ in his life.

-Going on companion exchanges with INCREDIBLE hermanas in my zone.

-Talking to my cute family every week is outstanding. :)

My companion and I were talking a lot this week about this crazy world that we live in, the priorities that people have, and what people really should be focusing on.

We learn in Helaman 5:12 about how Christ is our rock, He is our foundation, and that we CAN'T FALL when we build upon Him and His teachings. And it doesn't matter what the world throws at us.

12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. 

There is a quote that I heard this past week that I love. It says, "Many men struggle to reach the top of the ladder, only to find that it is leaning against the wrong wall."

Don't forget the promise we find in Helaman 5:12; we don't have to worry about where we are climbing to on our ladder if our foundation is built on Christ. With Him, we can reach eternal life.

He is our rock, our Redeemer, and our best friend standing there with open arms. :)

I encourage you all to go to Conference this weekend with open ears and open hearts. We often repeat the same things over and over again in the Church, and it is because we should be building our life upon it. 

I love you all! Have a great week and soak up every second of Conference!!

Hermana Greenwood:)

Every Day is a Good Day

"Happiness Moments"

-Definitely dropped our house keys down a drainage thing yesterday... good thing people here are nice and saw us desperately trying to use my magnet name tag to attract the keys to it and they helped us out.

-Decided to push our beds together and watch the best two years in Spanish for language study with some popcorn one night. Best decision we have ever made.

-Juan and Omar got baptized!! These two little kids are the most energetic bunch ever. After their confirmation the Bishop said, "These are now the two newest members of the ward..." And Omar yelled, "WAHOO!!!" Haha I love them with all my heart.

I feel like this week I have a couple of scattered thoughts. So here we go... :)

Every day is a good day when we choose Christ. A scripture that really hit my heart this week is in D&C 50: 40-42. What a good reminder that we are never alone, we are His, and He will never leave us behind.

As odd as it sounds, getting outside of your comfort zone is never really comfortable;) But wow am I grateful for the recent experiences that I have had to get outside of my comfort zone and serve others. A quote that I love is, "A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for."

I invite you all to learn more about Christ this week, and then to get outside of your comfort zone and strive to do as He did, speak as He spoke, and be more like Him. I promise when you do so, every day will be a good day.

I love you all!

Hermana Greenwood:)

The Power of Not Knowing

Hermanas Carter, Greenwood, Tukuafu, and Rice at the Mexico City Temple

This past week I read an INCREDIBLE talk titled, "The Power of Not Knowing" by Liz Wiseman. (It is a BYU speech.) And I wanted to share a couple of quotes and thoughts. :)

"Where is learning really born? It is born in the struggle."

"Sometimes the more we know, the less we see around us."

Hermanas Vieira & Greenwood (Intercambios/ Exchanges)

She also gives a couple of key things that we can focus on, especially when we feel like we don't know what we are doing.

1. Ask more questions

2. Admit what you don't know

3. Learn to see the genius in others

Have you ever felt like you don't know what you're doing? Have you ever tried to fake it until you make it? I have. But why focus on what we can't do or can't control? That only leaves us running around in circles. Something that leaves us out of breath and with a big headache.

Scrambled Eggs and Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll (First Cinnabon ever!)

This week I want to encourage you all (and I will do the same) to ask more questions, admit when you don't know or understand something, and look for the genius in others (and tell them!)

"Sometimes our state of not knowing is actually where we come to know God."

Instead of focusing on what you don't know, focus on what you can learn.

More than anything, focus on God.

Maybe we don't know everything, but we do know that Heavenly Father knows and loves us perfectly. Remember that. :)

Hermana Greenwood:)

Who We Are

Hermanas Greenwood & Carter

 I firmly believe that this past week about takes the cake for one of the best weeks of my mission.

I absolutely LOVE my new apartment and area and ward, and my companion is great and the cute hermanas in my zone are lovely. I couldn't be happier.

I have seen the Lord's hand so clearly and felt His angels more than ever in my life. We don't know the area, but somehow we get everywhere we need to go without problems. We had almost nothing to go off of when we first came into this area, and have since found AMAZING people to teach. The field is white and ready to harvest.

Study Area

This past week was my first time leading companion exchanges. Although I didn't really know what I was doing, I realized very quickly that companion exchanges are just a way that we can learn from each other and enjoy the journey that we are on as missionaries. I had the wonderful opportunity to be with an hermana who just barely came from the CCM, and I wanted to share with you all something she learned from her teacher there.

Kitchen

He said, "A testimony isn't just what we believe, it is who we are."

I have fallen in love with that perspective. When we have a strong testimony of something, we act on it, we do it, it becomes a part of who we are, and that is how we become converted.

Living Room

I am SO grateful to know that I am a daughter of God who loves me even when I don't feel like I deserve it, to know that He has given me gifts that I can develop and share with others, and that this plan brings happiness that can't even be described.

Bathroom

You are a child of God, He loves you even when you don't feel like you deserve it, and you have received great gifts from Him that you can develop and share with others in this wonderful plan of happiness that we are living.

Bedroom

Never forget who you are. :)

Hermana Greenwood:)

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:)