Soy Cocacola ;))

Hola Amigos!

All is well in Roswell. I don't have too much time to write, but here are a couple updates:

1. We met a Peruvian Family last week that's progressing in the Gospel. They're amazing.

2. I got called "coca-cola" or the good kind of crazy

3. My comp, Sister Marks, might be headed back to Chile in February. I wish I could know the future, but haha I guess we'll have to wait on that one.

4. I love serving others. 

Have an amazing week! 

Enjoy the Picture splurge

Love,

Hermana Pulver  

To You. Please Read

Hey y'all! This was supposed to be sent yesterday, but that's alright.

This week I want to focus on y'all. I've been inspired time and time again by the biggest miracle of this church and yet I've failed to write about it. As missionaries Sundays are probably THE most stressful day of the week. I don't know where I heard it from, but one missionary related inviting amigos to church to gathering sheep. I'd like to go a step further and say it's like trying to gather chickens. No matter how hard you try, they always seem to escape the reach of your hand. Anyways, sometimes making sure people come is stressful. You understand that it's not in your power if they decide to set their alarm or hop in their car. Yet, you understand the importance of the message, so you choose to hope that someone is going to come through those two big doors, and well quite a few do.

Every week, faithful members show up and stand as testimonies of the truthfulness of the Gospel. Just this last Sunday we had an inactive member come to church for the first time in 10 years. TEN YEARS GUYS. Before Beatriz walked out she told us that she was going to make it a goal to come 2 times each month. Also, sitting in Sacrament meeting was an old man named Guillermo.

Right after the meeting concluded, we met with him to share a little message but instead he taught us. He opened up to us right away and told how he immigrated here from Mexico four years ago for better work opportunities. He left behind his wife and two young daughters in order to support them from afar. Three years ago, he said goodbye to his wife from a couple thousand miles away. He couldn't cross the border to say goodbye as he didn't have his papers. I can't imagine how hard that must have been. Yet regardless of his past, he never dwelt on his difficulties, but instead on the truth and hope of eternal families. It's so special to know members like Guillermo who put all their trust in our Heavenly Father.

Another member I respect and admire is Hermana Bassford. Just this week we finished a video about her powerful conversion story. She's had an incredibly difficult journey, and this past week her friend was diagnosed with MS. For those who dont know, MS can cause loss of vision or blindness. A week prior to her friends diagnosis, she was also admitted to the hospital for Kidney stones. The morning of their appointment, I prayed to know what in the world we should share. They both had gone through more than what I could imagine. 

As I sat staring at the wall haha for a very long time a couple scriptures had come to mind with the topic of Angels. It felt right to share it. During the lesson, both broke down in tears. Hermana Bassford's friend read my scripture that morning and sis Bassford the night before. Man it's so important to teach according to the Spirit. I learned that day that Heavenly Father really is so aware of each one of us.

As for our amigos, Carlos and his family are doing well. Last Tuesday, we had an amazing lesson on God's plan of happiness. At the end, we asked if they would be willing to be baptized if they knew the message to be true. Their two kids, Ellie and Luis, practically jumped out of their seats to say yes. Carlos, haha well his eyes got pretty wide. He was a bit more hesitant, but agreed to think about March or April. Their family has SO much potential. 

We also saw another miracle. Janet, the miracle lady who knew our names but later dropped us, agreed to meet with us again! I asked her why she wanted to come back and she said that it was all because of the B.O.M. There were still things she needed to know, and she was going make sure she understood them before moving on. That day I understood the power of the B.O.M.

Well, next week is transfers and I have no idea what's going to happen. I might stay for my last six weeks or I might go. I'm pretty nervous, but Haha I'll let y'all know what happens soon. Thanks so much for all the support. I'm sorry if I haven't responded to all your emails, I'll try again next week! And just remember that you guys really are the biggest miracle of this church. ;))

Love,

Hermana Pulver 

Refinement In 611

Hey y'all!

A couple weeks ago, I said that the impossible would never happen, and once again I was found in the wrong. A week before Christmas, we went to visit the family of Carlos Rios. Shortly after, we were both experiencing symptoms of what seemed to be a cold. To me, it was always going to be just that. However, everything changed at 4A.M on December 22nd. when I woke up and couldn't smell the vix by my bed. Out of pure panic, I ran to the fridge found my salame package and tried once again to smell. Well that failed, but the test didn't. A day later, I was tested and confirmed positive with the big Rona. I am happy to say that I contributed to the 2020 pandemic and did my part. Both sister Marks and I were put in a mandatory quarantine for two weeks.

Our time inside the house was hard. I was really looking forward to spending the holidays with the members here in Georgia as well as doing a little service for those who we were teaching. Soon after we received our results, we were added to our mission quarantine group on FB. Haha I thought that was unique. There you could see everyone who was affected by COVID. About 2 days after I was added, I watched 18 members also make their way in. I felt bad, but I took comfort in knowing that all were my friends. :)) 

Speaking of which, we had A TON of support from our mission. During those last two weeks, we had several missionaries from our zone come and bring us food, members pop in, and Preident Harris called to see what else he could do for us. Although the situation wasn't ideal, we felt surrounded by people who genuinely cared for us. I was and forever will be grateful to those who helped! Man, I just really love the members of Magnolia.

On Saturday, we were given the go ahead to finally get out of our apartment. I. Was.so.happy. That same morning we had received a text from the Rios family. Both Carlos and his wife, due to medical reasons, have been unable to work for the past month and a half. With no steady income, this has forced them into a rather tight financial spot. They had used up all of their savings to pay Januarys rent, but failed to save enough for groceries. Knowing this, we immediately rushed out our apartment and headed to Walmart. When we showed up, Carlos had luis and Ellie meet us in the parking lot. As I opened up the trunk, luis (their 10 yr. Old son) just looked at what we had and smiled. He was so grateful and must have thanked us over 15 times that day. Ellie, their young daughter, came to us and asked us if those groceries were really all for them to which we replied yes.

I loved every minute of that service run. I dont think I'll ever be able to forget the look of gratitude their family had. It's experiences like these that make me incredibly grateful for the mission. When someone needs help, we dont need to think about if that service fits into our schedule. It will always work as it's our purpose to serve. :))

Ok. Now that I've probably taken up ten minutes of your time, I'd like to share something that I learned about Virtue this past week. Haha I had a lot of time to study in quarantine, so I tried to take advantage of it.

One synonym of virtue is holiness. I hadn't really thought about it before in that way, but I chose to research a little more. In a talk titled "Holiness and the Plan of Happiness", President Henry B. Eyring stresses the importance of our personal holiness and what that means in regards to our happiness. He goes on to explain how when we take advantage of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we begin to sanctify ourselves as we are more focused on our Savior. Yet, he goes on to say that "Holiness can not be achieved by living a simple life, neither can it be awarded to those who are perfect. This gift is not given, but learned." Holiness is closely related to our morals and values. When these are challenged through adversity, we choose either to grow in our character and testimony or we accept regression. 

For those who do accept opposition, also receive the gift of progression. On the temple it says "Holiness to the Lord". Every person who enters is deemed as holy and virtuous. Each had moments where they had to decide for themselves if they truly believed in the message. And only through those challenges, were they able to grow in testimony. Our personal holiness to the Lord depends on how faithful we are when times aren't the best. Interesting right?

Well, I hope you all have an amazing week!

Love,

Hermana Pulver