FAMILIES ARE FOREVER!

JUNE 29TH

Thanks for the emails! That's my favorite part of Mondays.

About my week: I got sick with a cold, runny nose and a cough, it was soooo not fun oh yeah on top of that a sore throat but no worries because I'm feeling a lot better!

This past week was really sad, we have (had) an investigator her name is Rosario, She is a lady that has been really sick! malnourished and had diabetes and other ailments, we have been visiting her and her family, we brought the elders and members to give her a blessing and even a nurse to check her out to see what we could do because, if you had seen her you would want to cry just to see how bad she looked. On Thursday we went to go check up on them (the family) to see if they brought her to the hospital and just see how things were going. Well as we approached the house on the hill we saw a black bow (a plastic bag in the shape of a bow, which signifies death here) and I was confused I wondered who had died, I had an idea but I didn't want to accept it. I thought it was their neighbor but as we got closer there was another black bow on the house, and my heart sank! we entered the house and they had cleared the main room of their furniture and in it's place there was the casket surrounded by candles and a few flowers. When I saw the casket I couldn't hold my tears and I started to cry, we saw the daughters that we are also teaching and hugged them, and then sat down on the chairs placed around the room, we didn't leave for two hours because i couldn't stop crying, it was tough because we had formed a special bond with Rosario, and one can just feel a special spirit about this family, and to see her go was a shock. But in that time i had time to reflect about the Plan of Salvation and how wonderful it is! The love that god has for us to make this perfect plan for us that gives us hope is just infinite. It was better for Hermana Rosario because she was really suffering and now she is resting in peace. And I'm hoping that her family will know that they can be together again for all eternity and that this blessings come through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The only problem is that they are planning on moving, and nowhere close, so we will see what happens with that. But we went back yesterday and taught flory (the daughter about the spirit world and the degrees of glory) and we are going to go back this week. We are not going to have them slip throuugh our fingers.

On friday we went to salama to do divisions with the hermanas, its always fun traveling to other places even though one is really tired afterwards haha. Also we had a meeting with Hermana Curtiss, talking about how we can better help the Hermanas with their challenges and then afterwards she took us out to lunch! smile emoticon It was a good time, i love Hermana Curtiss she is the best!

hmmm a scary experience this week, eventhough I feel pretty protected here, the other day we were waiting for the bus, apparently there was this drunk guy behind us, I didn't notice him but my comp. did and she told me "come on!" I started walking but didn't want to turn around to see what was happening but i saw a shadow following us, when all of a sudden my comp grabbed me and said "vamonos!" I looked back and the drunk guy was inches from me and tried to grab me and this was all during the day. We speed walked away, and my comp said that her heart was beating fast, I just felt oblivious haha. Don't worry mom, drunk guys are all over the place and they are usually harmless because they are usually so wasted they can barely stay on their feet and that's why you see so many of them just laying on the streets. But yeah they are VERY VERY annoying.

I hope you guys have a great week!! and hope that you are enjoying the weather!! smile emoticon

LOVE YOU MOM AND FAMILY!
HERMANA RILEY

with the Sisters in Salama

in the bus to Salama

 smile

MIRACLES

JUNE 22nd

Okay let me tell you about my week:

This week was full of miracles, on Thursday as we were walking home a lady came up to us and told us that the missionaries had been visiting her, but they stopped coming (due to changes) and she wanted us to come visit her (we were beyond excited!) that was our first miracle of that day. We then went to go do our visits and we had a member with us who wanted to introduce us to her friends we went to a house but no one was home, but they had a pila (outdoor sink) in front of their house that had dirty dishes (I had been looking for more service opportunities) and this was the perfect time because there was no one to tell me no! (everytime I ask if there is anything We can do to help they always say no) so we proceeded to wash their dishes and when we were done, left them a note that we had passed by. After our visits we were headed to another part of our area and on the way, another lady started talking to us (we were like: all of Coban wants to talk to us now when they usually never do, but it was really just two people) we talked to her and she asked us when the church services were for a certain ward? We found out she was less active and she wanted to go back to church to be able to better her relationship with Heavenly Father and receive blessings because her daughter was sick, we made an appointment to visit her another day and invited her to a church activity and that we would pick her up.
Night time came and it was time to go home and as we were walking, it started to lloviznar and chippy chippy (drizzling) and then as we got closer to our house it started raining harder and harder and as we were really close to our house it was pouring, so we got home SOAKED!! It was crazy we were hoping to escape the rain but nope....

On Friday we had divisions in a new area they gave us called Tactic, but I stayed here in coban, it was a good time. Oh yeah! also that day we found a person and I believe is related to your family Mom, she told us she was born in Santa lucia cotz. and that she has familia with the last name Maltez!! Her name is Estela Alvarez Milian, so if you could research, please pretty please! and let me know.

On saturday we had the ward activity to celebrate mothers day and fathers day, there were a few acts, including one we did as missionaries, which was pretty funny, even though it was improvised.
Another miracle that happened is that hna yanette came! (she hasn't gone to church for the three months that I have been here) and she went to the activity, along with a family where the mom is inactive and her husband isn't a member but her kids are and they came too! The activity turned out great, then on Sunday, Hna yanette actually came to church!! (and she said she never would and that she was going to back to her old church) that was truly a miracle!!! because it has been soooo long!
So that was my week last week!

But thanks for the fotos! And glad things are going well for the family.
I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH
ESPECIALLY YOU MOMMY!!!!!! XOXOXOXOXOX
LOVE
Hermana riley

Notice the bunny ears

Ward Activity = free food!

zzzzzz

CRAZY WEEK!

Please please take advantage of the temple, I miss it soooo much, i want to go soooo badly but cant, so go for me!! Its a blessing to have a temple close by! One never knows what they have until they don't have it, that is a true statement!

Okay time to tell you about my week!
It was CRAZY, STRESSFUL, AND TIRING! That's for sure. So as you already know, my comp went home last week with a few other sisters, and they were all staying with us! our house was a mess, and just today we got to the after clean up, because during the week was so hectic. Okay let me tell you, I was in charge of Hermana Martinez on Tuesday because she had emergency changes from salama to here to los campos (thats a 2 hour drive) she traveled there and back in one day, and the comp that acompanied her, her name is Sister Gomez, poor thing but she volunteered, she traveled there and back 4 times!!! can you believe it! 8 hours of traveling on bus! what a trooper! But also on that day, Tuesday, we had a problem with a pair of sisters, one sister was getting sent home, so me and sister Miguel went to be with them to help them out (they were having some issues) and the sister needed a suitcase to finish packing, so my comp stayed with her while I went with the other, and we searched almost all of Coban to find one in a thrift store, we finally found some but they were too much money so we went to a paca (thrift store) and found one, but it had some holes (but easy to fix) I bargained it for much cheaper, and they gave it to me, 80 quetz, pretty good deal compared to 400 for a new one, so we got that, then went in hunt for duck tape, we found it, then the sisters were hungry so we went to go buy food for all of us. But it was a lot of running around, it was a crazy day! we were pretty much with them all day. Finally Sister Martinez returned, went to go pick her up and then went to the one appointment that we had. On Wednesday morning President told us to keep an eye on the sisters, but the one that was leaving was being stubborn and didn't want us to be with her, so we just did phone calls periodically, when everyone finally left to the capital, we dropped Sis. Martinez off in her area with her new comp. We got to chill with President and his wife in their house for a bit. And the rest of the week we got to work, normally, but people were not accepting us, and one day we ran into Jehovah Witnesses that just wanted to contend with us, that was so awful!! I never want that to happen again, he was just trying to put us down, all we did was testify and we left. My comp realized what its like here, and says its a lot different from Peten, which is so true, the people are really hard here, but we have really good potentials. so we just continue with our faith and hope for the future! On Sunday we had a miracle, and for once we got an inverstigator at church!! Which was awesome, miracles are real!! grin emoticon. This week will be better!!! excited to work hard and find new people, and to have baptisms in the future, the AP's told us that we might go to Semuc in July, so we will see what happens.
But yeah that was my hectic weeK!!
I LOVE YOU ALL! Hope you have a marvelous week! and continue to see the miracles the lord has for you, because they are everywhere!!!!

Love
hermana Riley

Yep at the clinic getting diagnosed with one parasite.

The Moroni Trophy we won for doing the best in the month as a Zone

Tranfers!

Hermana whose luggage was too heavy 

but then we found out she was carrying this stick

She had to leave it behind.

The Sister Missionaries going home stayed with us for a day.

We were exhausted at the end of the day.

The aftermath of having 6 missionaries staying in the same room.

Walking to the Mission offices.

New Companion Hermana Miguel from Mexico.

PICTURES PICTURES AND MORE PICTURES!!

THE LORD ANSWERS PRAYERS.

We had the opportunity to hear from Elder Alonso a member of the 70's Ever since he came, I feel like the way I do things is a lot better, I really do try to be my best, I try to be obedient, I also feel way more confident in my calling as a missionary, and I really do have the authority and really represent Jesus Christ, we have been finding a lot of new people which is awesome, this past week was really good, with lots of excitement and success. We have been talking with our sister Missionaries every night to see how they are doing and what they have achieved due to the counsel of the 70, and trying to keep them excited. The mission is changing a whole lot. Elder Alonso really knows how to change things haha.

I have the opportunity to work with all the Sisters from my zone, it has allowed me to grow in areas that I never expected, sometimes I feel like the Mother of the sisters from my zone, we help them with supporting them in the work and even resolving personal conflicts. One time we had to travel to the area where this sisters work because they were having some conflict. One of the sisters was stubborn and did not want to tell us the issue that was bothering her about her companionship, she told us that she would only speak to the Mission President. I had to assert myself and told her that the Mission President has a whole lot of other things to worry about and that is reason why we were there as STL we have the responsibility to help them and resolve their concerns. Yep, I do feel like a mom some times hahaha.

Another day we went to an appointment but we didn't find the person we were looking for. We continued on our way and as we were walking we found a little side walk right in front of a house and we just sat down feeling a little disappointed, it was only 8 o'clock and our day was about to end. We uttered some words... " Heavenly Father where are your chosen children?" my comp. said well lets knock on this house that is behind us. I was a little unsure because it was a nice house, (people with money are not always receptive) but then I said....No! I am a representative of Jesus Christ and have the authority, LETS DO IT COMPANION!" so we did but I was nervous, a shirtless guy answered the door, and gave us a skeptical look, like what are two young women doing at night, but we introduced ourselves and said we are here to bless your house and family, so he let us in, we met his wife and then we said a kneeling prayer and they kneeled with us! afterwards we asked if we could come back to share more, and they said yeah! we left that house shouting for joy and we were soooooo excited!!! it was a family! new people! it was a miracle!! the Lord really answered our prayers.

After we found our new investigators.

I am so gratetful and happy to be a missionary in the good time and the bad, it is all worth it because every moment is a learning experience, so that was my week!!!!

I love you guys sooooooo much!!!!!!!
Exitos! and siga pilas en el evangelio when we study and pray more it really helps us out in our days.

I testify of that!

Love

Hermana Riley

ONE OF THE ROADS WHERE MY LIL'MISSIONARY

WALKS EVERYDAY.

SISTERS FROM THE ZONE

ON DIVISIONS (SPLITS)

SALAMA

THIS YOUNG MAN IS A RETURNED MISSIONARY

HE SERVED IN HER HOMETOWN (WE ACTUALLY MET HIM

WHILE HE WAS SERVING HERE IN THE STATES AND TOLD HIM SHE 

WAS SERVING IN COBAN (HIS HOMETOWN) ONE DAY HE FOUND HER.

COMPANION HAS 2 MORE WEEKS

COBAN CITY