Earthly Father, Heavenly Father

"Happiness Moments"

--When we were contacting in the street, a Christian woman sang to us.

--We rode the Mexicable today!!!

--We have loved having mini dance parties in the house to disney music;)

--I went back to my first area (Ecatepec) to say goodbye to some of my favorite people. It felt like I was going home to my family. I love them so dearly!!

--Maribel got baptized!! We knew from the beginning that she was chosen because after our first lesson with her she was already inviting everyone in the street to come to church:)

I just wanted to share a couple of thoughts from recent studies that I have had!

We are SUPER blessed because Elder Pingree and his wife will be coming to our mission next week, and he sent us a couple of chapters in the Book of Mormon to study.

I have grown to love even more Mosiah 3!

3 I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy. 

The glad tidings of the gospel of Jesus Christ surely brings me joy every day, and it is so simple.

19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. 

The first thing that comes to my head when I think of being like a child is playing in the backyard, having water fights with the siblings, etc. But this time as I sat pondering, I thought of this video:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/inspirational-messages/2013-01-002-earthly-father-heavenly-father?lang=eng 

And this scripture:

3 Nephi 13: 25 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked upon the twelve whom he had chosen, and said unto them: Remember the words which I have spoken. For behold, ye are they whom I have chosen to minister unto this people. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than draiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin;

29 And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.

We can have total and complete trust in our Father in Heaven.

I encourage you all to seek Him and His kingdom here on earth before all else.

I feel that there is so much I want to share and so much I want to say, but simply put:

God loves you. Don't forget it.

Love, Hermana Greenwood:)

You Are Worth It

Socorro's Baptism

"Happiness Moments"

--My last zone conference was a success!! We conducted the zone conference, sang a song, and I bore my testimony. I can't believe how fast time goes.

--Round two of bed bug cleaning.

--I have a new best friend puppy whose name is cookie.

--Socorro got baptized!! We met her by contacting people on the streets. The Lord truly is preparing His children.

Gabriel's Baptism

--Gabriel got baptized!! He stopped the Elders on the street over a month ago saying that he wanted to change his life. His life is now completely different, he doesn't drink anymore, and has changed how he speaks. I love seeing the Atonement of Jesus Christ in action in people's lives.

Final Testimony in Zone Conference

In the zone conference this past week, the theme was D&C 18. The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.

10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;

11 For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.

Musical Number

12 And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.

13 And how great is his ajoy in the soul that repenteth!

Normally I just look at verse 10, but I think verse 11 is what stands out to me more. The evidence that your soul has great worth in the sight of God, is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Christ loves you SO much. He gave literally everything for you. And He did it all alone so that we don't have to be alone in anything.

Never forget how much God loves you. Sometimes we feel like weeds in a beautiful flower patch, but God sees our real potential.

Multi-Zone Conference

My Grandpa sent me this powerful insight:

"And what is a weed?  A plant whose virtues have not been discovered."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your worth is great.

Love, Hermana Greenwood

Happier and Holier

Final MLC

"Happiness Moments"

--MLC was a good time! I feel very blessed to be in this mission, there are so many stellar missionaries and our mission president and his wife are amazing.

--President Parry this past week had to scratch his back and decided to use the door post to help him out haha.

Makeshift bedroom due to fumigation

--We pulled out our mattresses from our room to the bigger part of the apartment because the smell of the fumigation was still really strong. It was like a pajama party/ sleepover for a week!!

Making Bread

--We helped a recent convert make bread. Super delicious!!

Yolanda & Alejandra

--With only five weeks left, I am strongly considering sleeping with my nametag on. ;)

General Conference was INCREDIBLE. My testimony of preparing beforehand grew immensely. When we come prepared and with questions, the Lord always provides. 

I just want to share a couple of my favorite quotes!

--"The crowning jewel of the restoration is the temple." -President Nelson

--"This church was formed so that families can be born, sealed, and exalted." -President Oaks

--"Discipleship isn't about doing things perfectly, it is about doing things intentionally." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

--"The joy of the saints comes from being Christlike." -D. Todd Christofferson

Celebration after a long work day

--"We have the divine role to succeed." -Peter M. Johnson

As I have been thinking about the vision that I have for my life, I can't help but think about one of the main themes of general conference. Having your vision set on Christ.

Puffalump has survived 17 months in Mexico!

Elder Holland said that in order to grasp the vision we are seeking, we must fix our attention on Christ. His apostolic promise was that as we place our vision on Christ and cry out to Him, He will hear us, help us see, and save us.

I know that as we intentionally strive every day to be disciples and make the temple part of our life,  we will be joyful and exalted.

This is Christ's church, 

He leads it, He loves us. I add my prayer to that of President Nelson's, "may we all become happier and holier."

Love, Hermana Greenwood:)

Now is the Time

Andrea's Baptism

"Happiness Moments"

 --We had changes and I am with the most adorable companion!!! Hna Villar:)

--Last night at like 10:45 we discovered bugs in the beds... an uber came to pick us up around midnight and we slept in an apartment above the mission offices!! hahah that is something I will never forget.

--We bought super good bread that was warm and danced in the rain last night before the bug emergency happened;)

Fernando's Baptism

--We got to go to the temple this morning. I continue to feel so blessed for serving in a mission with a temple.

--Kayla, Shaid, Andrea, and Fernando got baptized!!!! Wow, it was such a crazy saturday. The Boiler in our church doesn't work and so we ended up having two different baptismal services in two different churches! One of the most stressful and amazing days of the mission. :)

Shaid and Kayla's Baptisms

General Conference is on the horizon!!! I hope you are all preparing to receive lots of light and revelation. :)

Hermanas Guajardo & Greenwood - More rain!

32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

My parents shared with me this quote that they heard in Stake Conference, "Sometimes we talk so much about what to do when the wind blows that we forget what we should do before the wind blows."

Fast Food

3 Nephi 14: 24 Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock—

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

I think that sometimes we sit down and talk and talk and talk, when really the most important part is to get up and walk. Put everything into action.

President Hinckley has said, "Get on your knees and pray, and then get on your feet and work."

D&C 84: 45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

New Companion - Hermana Villar

46 And the Spirit giveth blight to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.

47 And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father.

48 And the Father teacheth him of the covenant which he has renewed and confirmed upon you, which is confirmed upon you for your sakes, and not for your sakes only, but for the sake of the whole world.

Cute Little Friend

I love these scriptures. Everyone receives light, and as we listen to the impressions of the spirit, we come closer to God.

And we are never alone in the journey.

D&C 84:88 And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.

Slumber (or lack of slumber) Party

I encourage and invite you all to prepare for General Conference. I know that as we prepare, we will receive revelation upon revelation.

Now is the time to prepare for General Conference, and now is the time to prepare for the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I know He lives. I know He knows and loves us perfectly.

Now is the time to get to know and love Him, so that we may all live as He does.

With much love and joy,

Hermana Greenwood:)

The Perfect Day

Manuel and Sandra were baptized!

Hermanas Carter, Guajardo, Greenwood, & Rice

"Happiness Moments"

--We ate waffles with Andrea (she will get baptized this week) this morning and I feel fat and happy;)

--I had interviews with President Parry and I feel so incredibly blessed to have such an amazing mission president. The Lord knows exactly what we need.

la guerita y la morenita (white girl and brunette)

--The Hermanas that live next to us locked their keys in their apartment and nobody had an extra. The landlord somehow managed to take out the window of the bathroom (it is a VERY small window) and wiggled his way in to be able to open the door from the inside. Haha it was quite the night.

--We had a ward activity where we cleaned the church. My companion and I scrubbed the baptismal font with Clorox for more than an hour haha. I have never had so much fun cleaning.

--There was a devotional in the Visitors' Center! I love how much music invites the Spirit.

Zone Conference - Hermanas Greenwood & Tukuafu

--Sandra and Manuel got baptized!!! The first appointment that we had with them, Sandra did not show even a spark of interest. But as she began to pray and read the Book of Mormon and come to church, she opened her heart just enough to let the Spirit in. What a miracle it has been to see their progress!!

I think we all dream about what would be our "perfect day." And this past week I finally figured out how we can have the perfect day, every day. It doesn't matter if we are missionaries, a mom, a son, studying, working, we can have a "perfect day" every day. Here is the definition:

Perfect day: Seek after, listen to, and follow the Spirit.

How simple is that?

Hermanas Guajardo  (companion) & Greenwood

3 Nephi 19: 9 - And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them.

What is what we most desire?

Alma 58: 10 - Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people.

11 Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.

12 And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty.

I know that as we seek after (or pour our souls in prayer to God), listen to (the assurances and peaceful feelings), and follow the guidance of the Spirit (or take courage), every single day, we will have a perfect day.

I love the Lord with all my heart.

I know that we are never alone.

Have a perfect day!!!

Love, Hermana Greenwood:)

Liahona

"Happiness Moments"

Noche Mexicana

--We had another zone activity!!!!

--It was the birthday of one of the Elders in our ward and a family bought a chocolate cake that was to die for.

--Intercambios with Hna Rice had our stomachs hurting from laughing so much.

--We had a Mexican Night to celebrate the independence day of Mexico!!!!

This week the main thing that was on my mind was how grateful I am to be a missionary and how grateful I am to know of the goodness and hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We really are so incredibly blessed to know that we have a loving Father in Heaven who sent His son Jesus Christ to be our best friend and Savior. I love learning every day how the Spirit speaks with me specifically, and testifies of both the Father and the Son.

My mission president gave us permission to watch the BYU devotional that President Nelson gave today. How blessed we are to have a living prophet!! If you couldn't watch it, I encourage you to go and watch it now!

Zone Activity

1 Nephi 16: 28 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.

29 And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.

Continue to be faithful and diligent in the small things in your life.

Learn to find the good, and always give thanks. 

I promise that the little things are the big things.

I have been focusing on doing the little things and have never felt happier.

Love, Hermana Greenwood

Walk with the Lord

Leticia's Baptism! =)

 "Happiness Moments:"

--Leticia got baptized!!! The Lord is truly preparing His children. She was just outside of her house when we started to talk to her and she wanted to learn more. She gave up coffee, and she loves to read the Book of Mormon daily. She is such an inspiration, I love her with all my heart!!

Wet red shoes make stained red feet (looks nice with her fancy tan)

--*Hna Guajardo getting ready in the morning* "Ya know, it doesn't make a lot of sense that I am plucking my eyebrows just to draw them in...."

--It rained cats and dogs and my color of my shoes stained my feet haha, and it won't come off!!

Teaching the Youth

--There was a youth stake activity where we gave all of the youth mission calls and we went through all of the missionary lessons. It was a blast!!

--Intercambios with Hna Ramirez was a good time!!

Exchanges with Hermana Ramirez

--MLC was super awesome!!

Today I just want to share this scripture that was shared in MLC this past week that really touched me.

Moses 6:31 And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

Mission Leadership Council

Rewards of Missionary Work

32 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.

33 Say unto this people: Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you.

So happy together!

34 Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.

35 And the Lord spake unto Enoch, and said unto him: Anoint thine eyes with clay, and wash them, and thou shalt see. And he did so.

Swingin' in the Rain

36 And he beheld the spirits that God had created; and he beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye; and from thenceforth came the saying abroad in the land: A seer hath the Lord raised up unto his people.

37 And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him.

38 And they came forth to hear him, upon the high places, saying unto the tent-keepers: Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth, and there is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us.

39 And it came to pass when they heard him, no man laid hands on him; for fear came on all them that heard him; for he walked with God.

As we choose to serve the Lord, we never need to fear. 
The little things that He asks us to do really are the big things, and He will walk with us.

Have an amazing week!!!

With lots of love, Hermana Greenwood:)