NOVEMBER 25, 2013

I'm Trying to be Like Jesus

Ok so this week it really hit me that I need to be be better. I mean i am always telling my investigators that as believers in christ we need to try to better ourselves everyday and strive to live in harmony with HIS teachings not only the ones that come easily. 

this week was a bit difficult as i learned to humble myself and strive to be teachable, patient, and longsuffing. yesterday we were talking to a recent convert in the ward after our plan A, B, C, and D fell through and hearing his conversion story and why it took him 6 monthes to finally be baptized (an eternity to missionaries especially because we can teach all the basics in 1 month and he had a testimony and knew that it was true).  it really helped me to gain more perspective that it really is the LORD´s work not mine, I need to just be willing to listen to what He wants me to do and say....not just randomly think what do I  think they need...but rather what does the Lord want me to say so that i can MEET their needs. I really put that to heart in a lesson with a   Hermana V and her daughter S. both of whom are less active. I really tried to pray for whoever was speaking at the time the entire time and i prayed for the heart of hermana v. that it would be softened and that the words would enter her heart and be what she needed to hear. and while i was in there, i no longer worried what i should say or how we had other people we wanted to see but instead i felt love for her and really discovered the true reason she was less active so that we can really help her.

afterwards, hermana meeks told me she could see the difference. i had the gift of tongues language was not a problem, and she also saw the difference in hermana v. 

christmas call- they will give me a calling card for sure...the question is if i will meet with one of the members to use their skype....so family, now is the time to practice using skype. i have permission to use skype if there are members available that have it...and i think there are...i will figure out more info for you guys. its 1 hour...im pretty sure and i think it is actually the 26th but i am not positive...i will find all that out asap!

(Konrie told us about several of her investigating families, but  sadly we have been told that there are people using blogs to contact the new converts and give them a hard time.  I think it is best that I don't post their names and situations) 

we sing before every lesson...its a great excuse for them to let us in their house to bring the spirit and to help them feel more comfortable in church when they attend and the songs are a little familiar.

it is so weird that you guys have had halloween and thanksgiving...holidays really dont exist in my mind right now...it is still august 2013 in my mind...at the same time i know that it is the end of november... but ya...im going to return and be really confused when its 2015 

i like my shoes (sas grandma shoes are the best) i am sick of my shirts and my skirts are all neutral colors....i can deal with it all, but for Christmas i would really like some new shirts that are fun and slightly nicer. and remember we are in the middle of summer here....it is extremely hot! and gross....

i love you all so much and i enjoyed writing this letter for you all. with lots of love and faith in your ability to touch lives and be gods hands

hermana konrie ming

(Konrie learned that one should never lock yourself out- ha)

(A sweet family that is in their branch)

Monday November 18 2013

2 Transfers 2 Companions and Still Keepin the Faith

iron pills...yes i am taking them....i am trying to remember to take two every day...im on my last bottle...i really can feel an increase in energy than when i started my energy...it isnt perfect but it is much better then before.

so today my companion hermana gallardo goes home....her family is thrilled...she is devasted...you can really see all the lives she touched while she was here...she will really be missed....this is the kind of missionary i want to be....one that will touch lives by my example and my love of the gospel. 

i am in a trio with hermana chachi and hermana dardon my house companions. hermana chachi is from pèru and came to this sector/area at the same time as me. we are buddies i love hna chachi we love to joke with each other, i am helping her learn english :) she has about 7 monthes in the mission and hna dardon is from guatemala shes been in this area for roughly 4 months and has about 6 months in her mission. both are phenominal and i am really excited to work with them today....we all cried really really hard this morning for many hours while waiting to send hermana gallardo off and also when she was officially gone...her presence will be missed but during our morning studies we really could feel the saviors love, comfort, and strength to carry on with the work. we all will miss our companion and dear friend here in our house in this mission in this country, but we know we are still needed here

all i really know about my new companion and trainer is her name is hna meeks, she is from the US and she has about 6 months out on her mission...oh and other people say she works hard...and she will arrive sometime in the morning tomorrow.

there really arent that many WARD activities but the youth have their activities the relief society theirs,...and i think the primary too but to be honest the missionaries arent super involved with the ward activities...i think with time and an increase in their confidence we will plan ward activities with our less active families, recent converts, investigators and of course the ward members...but for right now i am just trying to show them i am here for them...as missionaries we try to strengthen the ward and help it grow. but we cant be the glue...the ward needs to be the glue....that way it is much more permanent...not just for a month or 5 months but for years and years...

ok now for something light to lift the mood...so we have stairs at our house that have gaps in between...i hope you know what i mean...well one day hermana chachi was walking down the stairs when i was behind them...so i did what any child with a sense of humor and lots of siblings would do....i grabbed her ankle as she was walking,.....she screamed sooo loud...i laughed soo hard! "hermana ming!" and naturally with this commotion hna dardon was curous and wandered down the stairs too...."AHHHHH!!!!!! Hermana Ming!!!!!!" hahahahahaha so much fun and so much laughter i really couldnt resist it!!! so worth it! sadly hna gallardo stayed upstairs just yelling to find out what happened and then ran down stairs too fast for me to catch her too....but my oh my did i laugh HARD.  that really helped us to bond, relax, and just enjoy each others company...because as missionaries we need a break and fun too...that is one thing i definitely learned here..

i love you all and i want you to read 2 nephi 4:20 and the first half of 21...it really helped me today

 (20 My God hath been my ^asupport; he hath led me through mine^bafflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

 21 He hath filled me with his ^alove,)

hermana konrie ming

keep the faith and work hard

not the actual staircase just a visual image for you - ha

Tuesday, November 12 , 2013 11am

Answer to a couple of our questions:  
my branch has about 600 members but it was a record when 103 people were in church a ccouple weeks ago. reactivation is huge here...but the sad thing is it is mostly the job of the missionaries to reactivate because the number of active members is so small. they have a lot to worry about.

my showers and bathrooms are relatively normal smaller and the shower is about the size of the downstairs but with a curtain that tries to eat you while showering. 

honestly i want you guys to see pictures but i hate how long it takes to set it up and send them... but i will try. just for you...

then her letter began:

i don't know what my problem is but i dont want to talk about my week.-..probably because i am sad because i really really really dont want my companion to leave and everyone in the world wants to talk about it...please remember...when a missionary is leaving...they normally do NOT want to leave and it is a topic of sadness...and kinda makes us trunky aka when our mind is on our home and not on the work....

but please forgive me i also forget you guys have no idea what is happening over here....ok

D- he is a young man that we are teaching and had a baptism date but it fell because he didnt attend church...so we prayed to see if we should quit teaching him...spirit told both me and my companion the same answer...wait a little bit.-..so we gave D the talk...you need to know for a fact if this church is true and you need to know now. really blunt and to the point. and asked him to give the closing prayer while all of us was kneeling...and as we were leaving he was a little ....different more withdrawn than normal...but he committed to pray if it was true...turns out he had received his answer and committed to 7 december for baptism and to attend church with us !! so we went to his house in the morning of church with french toast we had made so he wouldnt have any excuse....and he SAID HE COULDNT GO TO CHURCH!! big bummer...but he knows the gospel is true he knew that trials would come...now he just needs to act...

but R- a mama is progressing spoothly i honestly have no idea why she doesnt have a baptism date...but dont worry we are going to fix that...she really is wonderful and totally gets it. 

know that i love the mission and i love the holy ghost and my opportunity to listen to it...we had a miracle the other day...we were contacting in the street when i had a random thought to go to the opposite part of the area across the street a ways...so we acted on it...and a while later we saw that the same street we were at...a house caught on fire! scary right! god really protected us...and hna gallardo was really worried for the family at the hose and the people involved so we prayed for them and found out later no one was hurt :) tender mercies siempre!

i love god and i love the work and i am so proud of your missionary efforts i know that god will bless you with a miracle...it is a righteous desire...simply be open to the whispers of the spirit. love ya lots read mosiah 28:3 to know exactly how i feel about missionary work

hermana konrie ming

Monday, November 4, 1:17pm (No subject - no time)

(after attempting to send us several pictures that did not come through, this is her email...)

and that is all the comp(uter)  will let me send right now... its all maxed out i guess. alright this was a week of milagros (miracles) ! okay more accurate weekend because honestly our week ....well we had 3 lessons with members and our goal was 10.... but we are talking milagros...well during the week we could not get a hold of ANYONE!!! okay we could but the people we really wanted to teach our investigators with a baptismal date...we tried soooo many times to visit them and couldnt....so saturday because we didnt have any appointments we contacted poeple on the street and "knocked on doors" (actually you yell aloe really loud at their gate and they open the door and tell you they are busy so hurry up and convince them this message is worth their time) and we found 5!!!! new investigators that were interested in our message that we will begin teaching....

word to the wise...ask the people if you can sing a little song for them in their home for them and their family....then you are in their house sitting down, can talk about the gospel can turn off the TV, invite all in the house to listen to you,, and best you can sing a hymn and invite the spirit...best technic ever to bring the Spirit in fast!!! 

and more...this is a part of the letter i wrote to my mission president this week because i dont have time:

loosely translated her spanglish:

"(yesterday, our bishop told us and the other missionaries that our less active mission leader was going to return to his calling and help us with the work. and also that they were inviting us to help the ward counsel.  It was a miracle because our efforts with Hermana Gallardo and I to receive the confidence of the members in the branch (and help them gain a desire for the missionary work) worked, we have more help from the ward in the work of the Lord.  I am very happy except for one thing...  you know about our two investigators and our new investigators.    But our companionship is fantastic.  One of the highest compliments I can give Hermana Gallardo is that I trust her judgment completely. "

I love you all Im sorry I can't write more... and Mings I will read your letter later and respond

Stay strong and be missionaries now :)

Hermana Konrie Ming

Monday, October 28, Week of Change of Mind

i like my title. because it fits.

this week i experienced my first splits (24 hours with a new sector aka area and new companion) and i am not going to lie, it was difficult. i didnt really look at the good in the day until after i regrouped with my companion. we had a lot of ppl say too busy dont want to  listen to your message and even a creeper (guy only wanted the sister missionaries to come over to his house....not necessarily interested in the gospel) but we also have 2 miricles  we fgound an investigator that had moved and desired to have the gospel but was lost in the cracks when she moved and 5 people in a store that seemed like they were going to have a whole bunch of people come and listen to the gospel at onces (just ilke the missionaries in the 1800s with joseph smith)

D--18 year old, lives with grandma (less active) and takes care of her. he has a baptism date. we were thinking he no longer wanted to hear the gospel but turns out when he skipped church and said he was busy for our second appt it was because he really was busy and also because he didnt have church cloths and so felt inadequate...hes all good now....kinda...he decided to hand over his green tea so we could destroy it :) one of my fav e things to do! destroy things that are bad for other people!!!  

Ma "I" a 27 yr old mother of 2 (M-7? A-3?) been investigating the church for a few months now and has a desire for an eternal family only problem....her husband is no longer interested in the church (totally broke hna Gallardos heart when the dad said he didnt want to go to church and when he would leave our lessons with the family to go clean the car)

H- 26 yr old mother of 3 (14 10 ...and another child) she is awesome and we started teaching her when i arrived. shes sweet and her daughter LOVES the Lord and to show us her love for the Lord :) she just needs a desire past liking to hear and agree with our words

C and F (15 and 12 respectively) they have my heart...not sure why, but they totally do. they are just so sweet and innocent i just want to take them under my wing and guide them through life. sadly though they may not be as interested in the gospel as we thought...but we will keepp trying...

its hard when people dont see the importance and urgency for the gospel NOW. because you never know how long you have and this can bring you happiness now and forever...yes its hard...but doesnt that make the reward sweeter?

i am working on looking for the good otra vez and laughing more and enjoying the moment...because honestly life is good. i really appreciate all the supportive emails. they really helped. (ps for pday the missionaries in our zone aka like 320 or 30 of us went to the chile beach in case your wondering it looks very similar to CA they even had a sign claiming they had the best surf in the world LIES!!)

Hermana Konrie Ming

THE NEXT WEEK:    and that is all the comp(uter)  will let me send right now... its all maxed out i guess. alright this was a week of milagros! okay more accurate weekend because honestly our week ....well we had 3 lessons with members and our goal was 10.... but we are talking milagros...well during the week we could not get a hold of ANYONE!!! okay we could but the people we really wanted to teach our investigators with a baptismal date...we tried soooo many times to visit them and couldnt....so saturday because we didnt have any appointments we contacted poeple on the street and "knocked on doors" (actually you yell aloe really loud at their gate and they onçpen the door and tell you they are busy so hurry up and convince them this message is worth their time) and we found 5!!!! new investigators that were interested in our message that we will begin teaching....

word to the wise...ask the people if you can sing a little song for them in their home for them and their family....then you are in their house sitting down, can talk about the gospel can turn off the TV, invite all in the house to listen to you,, and best you can sing a hymn and invite the spirit...best technic ever!!! 

and more...this is a part of the letter i wrote to my mission president this week bc i dont have time

yesterday our bishop told us and the other missionaries that  our less active mission leader was going to return to his calling and help us in the work.  And also he invited us to help with the ward council.  It was a miracle because of the efforts of Hermana Gallardo and I to receive the confidence of the members in our ward and and help them gain the desire for the missionary work.  We have more help from the ward in the work of the Lord  I am very happy except one thing:  our two investigaors and new ones,, but our companionship is fantastic.  One of the hightest compliments I can give Hna Gallardo is that I trust her judgment completely.

I love you all  Im sorry I can't write more... and mings I will read your letter later and respond
stay Strong and be missionaries now :)
Hermana Konrie Ming:

If you Look Hard Enough You Can See the Miracles!

(This is the newbies to Rancagua Mision with President Warne)

I love Chile, I love the branch, I love my companion I am just so filled with love. 

This week was interesting. we really didnt teach as much as we did last week but we talked to a lot of people about the Gospel and I feel like a lot of the people that werent home when we tried to visit was Gods way of sending us to our plan D  (yes we had a plan a, b, and c too) but oftentimes the plan D was someone who needed us. whether it was a ward member that needed consolation and to know that God hears our prayers or it is a less active mother and her daughter that have a Hunger to come back to church.

its incredible, many times when the members provide lunch for 1 or 2 or all 3 sets of missionaries it is because they greatly desire or need the blessings that they have Fe (faith) will come through their sacrifice and service. I really am so humbled by the faith of the people here...and at the same time soo extremely saddened when ward members or investigators do not see the great importance of church attendance. it is a Huge difficulty here...they have work or are sleeping til 12 noon or have chores to do or dont feel like the ward members practice what they teach or some other reason. I cannot count how many times i have born my testimony on the importance of church attendance. 

chilean words: vacan=cool 

Po (pronounced like poe)= used for emphasis at the end of a sentence like  sí, po. or no, po. are the most often uses

ok it is really dangerous (do be nervous i am fine keep reading) there are tiendas (stores) like mini convenience stores EVERYWHERE....my companion and i a couple of times a week go and buy chocolate in the nearby ones of where we are at the moment like in between appts...its good and bad :) its a good thing our area (sector in spanish or chilean) is large and we walk all day. 

okay some of the people here totally talk like they have MARBLES in their mouth ...its like a mumble in the back of their throat...they are definietly the hardest for me to understand :)

ok what else? oh, dinner and breakfast are just jwhatever i feed myself, generally the normal cereal and herbal tea (for some reason i actually like the herbal tea....even though its the same as back home and i didnt back home) and crackers or an apple for during the dayç.....i dont really have much time for dinner at night so i just snack more. 

One thing i really love about my companion is that she is always complimenting me, telling me my strengths and super patient with my questions and language learning. also she respects my opinion, and if i feel like we should talk to someone that we passed she enthusiastically agrees. It is definitely something i will try to learn from her. 

thats all for now love ya!

keep your heart open (notice i didnt say eyes) for people that might need your help or your testimony  you never really know if you are an answer to a prayer until after you act

Hermana Konrie Ming

First Week in Chile- Can it be?!!!!

October 14, 2013    1:15pm

EEEEKKKKK!!!! so I am officially a chilean missionary with so many blessings!!!

I love it here. everything is really green and the mountains are really close, I would share pictures but i forgot/ran out of time to take some. next week...sorry! 

where to start?

my first comp is Hermana Gallardo of Mexico and she is PHENOMINAL the best I could ask for. this is her last transfer before she goes home :( but boy am I lucky. she wants to work hard and be obedient and actually walks faster than me!! She has such a Christlike love for the people and they can just feel her love too. she is also so patient with me always answering my questions about who is who and where we are going ( i think she takes a different way to get places every time and if she left me I really don't think i would be able to find my way home :) but I absolutely adore her and she helps me to be a better missionary!

the other WAYAWESOME blessing is.....

I have been given the gift of tongues, i have heard all kinds of stories about how even spanish speakers cant understand chileans, how they are in the top 3 fastest speakers and it takes people 3 months to get it, how they dont pronounce their {s{ so like more than one brother  should be hermanos...well its actually hermano for many poeple here...and mas o menos (so-so) is ma o meno...anyway...I can understand a most of what the people say. in my first week....and before the mission i had native spanish speakers repeat themselves 4 times with lots of slowness (cant speak english) ...but seriously! i have been blessed with the gift of tongues...dont get me wrong I have been working hard for this gift since I took spanish in high school, and speaking spanish whenever I can at the CCM and here, but God truly has blessed me.

one think I love remembering is that everyone is a child of God. EVERYONE. and God wants his children to be happy, that is why he blessed us with families and the gospel (my favorite way to start teaching people) but my point is, I try to look at people in the street and driving the taxi (we take it like once in a while) and give them the opportunity to hear the word of God :) I lof being a missionary!

now...its committment time...who is a child of god near you that needs more happiness in their life? refer them to missionaries :) because everyone can use more happiness and is a child of god :) I love you all. and I feel your prayers. thank you and stay strong!

hermana konrie ming

I'M FINALLY IN CHILE

Tuesday Oct 8, 3:11pm

safe an sound in the beautiful country of Chile. The flight was long
and tiring, but I am so glad to be here. I have an amazing companion
that is going to be done with her mission after this transfer, I am
already so excited to work with her. I get to serve in San Fernando
first, and I already know I have so much spanish and teaching styles
to learn, but it looks like we are blessings for each other. my new
pday is monday. her name is Hermana Gallardo. Love you all!!

Take faith in God. and when in doubt mosiah 2:41

Hermana Konrie Ming

FINAL EMAIL FROM THE CCM!!!

So I leave in like 3:30 from a place I have called home and been in for the last 6 weeks and it is just insane to believe. the CCM is absolutely breathtaking and so much bigger than it seems the trees are just like ones i have seen in CA and everything is so extremely green. the buildings are neat and so unique. The rainbow houses are just awesome. its kinda funny we are in the middle of a valley with mountains almost surrounding us so we can see the various houses on the surrounding hillsides and most of them are a cement brown-grey color but like every 10th or 20th house is painted a pastel color. outside the CCM mexico looks very  different from anything in the USA. for one you can tell they dont have a community service clean up crew if you know what i mean, and the streets and traffic...i dont think i will ever be able to drive here...its confusing and crazy, but I really have grown to love this place and am excited to see more of the world and cultures

 

The CCM really is amazing though

 

The food is unique. I completely surrendered to not comparing the taste of things to american food and that really helps me to appreciate it more. dont get me wrong it isnt gross it just isnt always stuff I recognize or would consider putting together...now you want examples right? um....they often will have veggies as a side dish...like carrots, green beans, and cubes of white cheese just mixed together interesting...not bad...but different as well as the chips they have at the tienda...they have doritos nacho flavor right? well they look just like the ones at home but the nacho flavor is more like thepremelted nacho cheese you buy from a concession stand with a bit of pepper kick to it...or they have lemonlime kick...different but not wrong...

 

things i miss nuts (salted almonds,cashews, peanuts, etc), mounds/almond joys, normal chips like bbq flavor, beef jerky...i am not saying this because I am begging for packages...i am saying this so you understand more differences between american and mexican food....ok maybe i am begging a litle....but i dont need everyone to send me stuff....then i will get overwhelmed! i am positive...so just...kinda....actually i have no idea what i want and am considering deleteing this paragraph....

 

 

ok on a more spiritual note:

WE HAD GENERAL CONFERENCE THIS WEEKEND!!!! whoo hoo!! what a wonderful time to listen to the counsel of modern day prophets as they tell us the words of God. I know that MANY of the prayers in my heart were answered especially in the first session! if you havent watched it yet go to lds.org it was so inspiring (AND DONT JUST WATCH ONE OR TWO! you never know if the talk you need to hear is in the session or talk you skipped...watch them all)

 

i loved all the talks on Member missionary work. We cannot do it without you guys...open your mouths and help us out! send referrals and share with others what brings you more jjoy that anything else in the world!

 

and ONe last thing: NEVER EVER LOWER EXPECTATIONS. when you lower your expectatonsyou will miss precious opportunities to touch lives and live up to your full potential. I have regained my goal to convert, baptize, and confirm 1000 people on my mission, if you tell me i cant or that is hard I will only tell you of the many other miracles that occurred with a faith in christ and an alignment of our will with GOds....I will do It!

 

keep the faith

 

Hermana Konrie Ming

THIS WEEK ...idk I don't really even have a phenomenal title for it...it was just POWERFUL :)

I love being a missionary...I just want you all to know that. and the many times a day that I pray to God for His help and inspiration, I also include requests for blessings to my Family in Friends, so that means YOU....yes, if you are reading this...you are my family and friend...because we are all Children of God...yep its true...look it up...preferrably at mormon.org or lds.org...or in a mormon songbook...like the first page of the childrens songbook...or hymn 300 in the english version and a different number in the spanish one....

ANYWAY, sorry...a little distracted i guess :)

so as missionaries we go to the temple every other week and I LOVE it there...the temple is a place of worship where worthy members of the Church can make covenants and feel much closer to God it is a very sacred place. and I literally started crying when I thought how as a missionary I may not have the opportunity to go for the next 1.5 years of my mission...but I also know that I have the important task to bring people to christ and then later (when theyre ready) they can go to the temple and bring themselves closer to God :) but they have to come to christ first -they need me and all my efforts

okay funny moment...elder cook is TERRIFIED of spiders well the elders found a spider the size of a quarter and "drowned" it...its in quotes because it didnt die...just went into shock.... ya gross right...well they had so much fun poking the spider and playing with it while it was ...."asleep" and poor...well funny...Elder cook was so terrified. he makes the best facial expressions so it was hard to feel too bad...he makes us all laugh...and the poor guy couldnt even be in the same room as the spider...

sorry that probably wasnt the funniest story....if i think of a better one ill send it your way...

Members of the Church this weekend is General Conference an opportunity to listen to MODERN DAY PROPHETS!!! that recieve revelation from GOD!! I encourage you to tell people about this opportunity and have them come over and watch it with you in your home in the traditional attire (PJS) hey who doesnt love a pj party ?! invite them and tell them....BECAUSE WE HAVE MODERN DAY PROPHETS!!!!!!!!!!! in our DAY!!!!!! ALIVE!! its phenominal! and if you dont believe me then talk to someone that doesnt know about it yet...i guarentee you will appreciate it way more. (oh and if you arent mormon then look on lds.org they will broadcast it and tell you what days and times) i challenge you to watch it at the exact moment it is happening...to adjust your plans as you need to because this is important...so very important.

dont forget to fellowship investigators of the church and new converts or inactive members of the church...you do not understand how extremely vital it is to their ability to stay active in the church.

it looks like i will leave here next week mon oct 7th idk the time yet but i will get to email the day of or day before I leave and up date you more

i misplaced my list of items i wanted to tell you...so I may either send it handwritten to my family or email it next week...ps dear elder.com is pretty cool...me gusta..

oh! apparently its not normal for it to rain for a month straight...it was because of the hurricanes on both the east and west sides of mexico that the weather was so bad...just random bits of rain...yep..so...ya...

ummm...something funny.....elder cook also calls Hermana young and I Herman (pronounced very american) Ming and Herman Young....possibly due to a family story that i hope my mom will tell for me...

ok im out of info! WAIT!!! Hermano silva totally ditched our class on wednesday...guess what he did instead....went to a beyoncé concert....guess what he brought us back...pics and glitter...its currently in Hermana Youngs journal...yep it was awesome...he is the cutest little mexican I totally just wanna put him in my pocket :) (torra- more than i wanted an action figure of my efy counselor jake remember?)

love yall

Hermana Konrie Ming

(Note from Stephanie:  Sorry I just realized I didn't update her blog this week.  Good thing I have a year and a half to get this perfected)  

God Listens to EVERY word

alright here are the key phrases for this letter: God listens to EVERY word his missionaries say, canción (song), schedule, purpose, count your many blessings, and "wheres Jeff?" (if theres time).

purpose as a missionary- "invite others to come unto christ by helping them to receive the restored Gospel through faith in jeasus christ and his atonement, repentance, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end"

schedule-

at the CCM we are here to learn how to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ  to all the world so much of what we do during the day is study. we have 4 types personal, language, companionship, and additional. the first three are to help  us to acheive our purpose as missionaries.  you know helping others to come unto christ by those steps... that is the gospel of jesus christ it is the reason we do everything we do in the church. it is the basis of our religion but sometimes even the members dont realize it...i didnt...but i know that it is true. anyway the first three are to help us to be good missionaries and study for our investigators and the people around us.

walk(wake) up at 6:30am at the latest

study

gym time for 1 hour

study with our teachers (we have 2 one in the morning and one at night)as they guide us and help us to improve

practice teaching investigators (members of the church becoming people they know and acting as those people would)with the spirit

study on our own

learn the language

plan for the next day

go home 9:30pm

lights out at 10:30

repeated every day. sundays we worship and study and listen to inspirational words by leaders of the church, and once a week we prepare for the week with laundry cleaning, napping, and emailing/letter writing but mostly we study and prepare to do the Lords work.

God listens to EVERY word his missionaries say-

we (that always means Hermana Young and I unless otherwise stated) were walking and waved hola to a bunch of hermanas we knew and i wanted to try out a different response to how are you? so i say

"its a great day to be living" roughly

once hermana Young (ok from now on she is HY unless otherwise stated) figured out what i said

"dont ever say that again!"

"why?"

"karma"

"i dont believe in karma"

"i believe karma is the name for Gods sense of humor"

we laugh and continue debating a bit

i say "God wont hurt one of his missionaries"

"watch out, God is going to make you faceplant in some mud right now"

Naturally as she says finishes her statement, LITERALLY AS SHE FINISHES, I slip and almost faceplant into the wall of the girls bathroom and nearly fall over afterwards with her while laughing....It was soooo funny!!! she now swears she has proof God hears every word His servants say. and i just laugh

Canción (Song)

during a Missionary lesson with one of our investigators, i try to say we want to invite the Spirit into the lesson with a song...key word is try....our lessons are in spanish....and the spanish word for song is canción, only problem is i said contención....meaning contention...i want to invite the Spirit with fighting....yep...it was almost really bad except HY caught me and we didnt loose focus by laughing with our investigator...thank heavens!

Count your blessings no nmatter what you you will feel closer to God and your trials wont seem so bad, they will seem like blessings and you will feel Gods peace and love for you.

I love you all very much

Hermana Konrie Ming

Doctrine and Covenants 6:14, 15, 23 look on LDS. org for the scripture if you do not have this book or mom can you post the link?

 14 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast ^ainquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time.

 15 Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy ^amind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been ^benlightened by the ^cSpirit of truth;

24 And now, behold, you have received a ^awitness; for if I have^btold you things which no man knoweth have you not received a witness?

(Note from Stephanie: You might understand Konrie's letter format if you understand Konrie.  Ever since she was little she hated to write essays even though she is really good at them.  She couldn't accept the idea of a rough draft and then editing it later.  It was all I could do to get her to just free write and just get her thoughts down.  She wanted it to be perfect the first time.  So having a time schedule to write her letters and read her emails- only 60 minutes - must be stressful for her.  I can tell she is just trying to get her thoughts down and not stress over the perfect wording.... Makes a momma proud!  I was going to edit and add complete sentences - but I don't want to take away from her sweet raw letter form!!!)

Trusting in the Lord

HOLA!!!

Okay, so before you ask, My companera(companion)  is still here...for now...and same districto (district)...and ya...oh...new casa (house) because apparently our old one had bathrooms that were 'insuitable for living' so when we (generally meaning me and my companion)went to retreive a sweater from the casa after lunch and saw other hermanas (sisters) with their suitcases rolling away and got to instead of just a quick trip to retreive things  it became an hour of quick packing and moving to a purple house...so pink to purple maybe by the end i will be in my fav color house blue... :) because God has decided to not allow us to be come too comfortable...He wants to stretch us.

haha funny moment! elder byrd fell asleep during study. he was laying on his arm and it fell asleep...when he woke up...it was sooo funny because he was staring at his arm so confused and shocked as to why it wouldnt move or why he couldn{t feel it...pure shock...could not comprehend why it wouldnt move....like it wasnt his arm...we we enjoyed laughing at his face!!!

another one bites the dust-elder silva blew out his knee...that is the fourth person in our district to not be in full health. hermana young. humphrey was sick in the first week but only missed a day...it was day 3...hutchinson bruised his ribs playing fútbol...Hunt told me the elders apparently decided that i am next....thanks elders :/ so not going to stóp me...id have to be dying

I got a package!!and hooked all the people in my district on my fave type of chips (kettle corn flavor popped chips or something like that) yep they love it and me...and I LOVE MY raincoat!! i am so easy to find! and I love it!! and I have a camera to show you pics!!!! yay!!

oh fun story...they want hermanas to wear name on right side so people will follow your arm (during handshake) to your name and who you represent...no sé por qúe (I don't know why) other than that

ok now for a good story to tell you more about my week...

wait forgot to tell you our district now also have disney characters....ps they know about all the assignments we've given em

neeley-woody (no man left behind)

humphreys- john smith (¨'quiet manly behavior, his voice definitely his voice' says h young)

hunt- flik (bugs life, just wants to be in the middle of it all, friendly)

brown-sully (monsters inc only the first one not the new one, loves what he loves but lets others make the decisions)

byrd-robin hood cartoon with foxes (in the middle loves to have fun no matter the circumstance but mature)

silva-aladdin (looks like aladdin, great intentions but also kinda wants to rebel normally does the right thing)

hutchinson-prince eric (he is the most active prince (in our opinion) in fighting for his lover he loves his gf back home)

cook-flynn rider (has a smolder, comes off as cocky and arrogant and has a twisted sense of reality)

okay story...

this week was pretty rough on me. the first half it was just waiting for us to be told when h young was leaving and my life would be altered and then she ended up (on friday) having the full go ahead to stay (kinda...its still touch and go) since wed she was told if she wants to stay (which she does) she has to attend all classes and no wheelchair. and she has been doing it. but I didnt accept her decision to stay right away- because I was a little sick of change, and i received peace when i asked God to help me accept her decision to go. but i forgot to ask for peace with her decision to stay too. So i didn't have the Spirit...which makes teaching about the Gospel REALLY hard...and it rattled me. but as a district on Saturday with the help of our maestra (female teacher) (Hermana Coleman aka Lorena (1st investigator) aka Spiritual powerhouse of an instructor) we as a district invited the spirit back into our clase with fervent prayer bearing our souls to God (for some reason it sounds bad but its not) and scripture study learning what we needed to do to have the Spirit again. I personally realized I needed to let go of any mal (bad) feelings I had towards anything and focus on the Spirit and what I could to to be worthy of it. IDK if that was too personal but I have a testimony of the Spirit of Revelation. It did not end with the Prophets of old or with the Apostles. God still wants to speak to us. we just have to be worthy and willing to listen and know how to listen. The priesthood is real. It is the power to act in God's name and it can work miracles.

okay I have more pics on the way...as well as the ones in the other camera...send me questions so I can answer.

Hermana Konrie Ming

 This is the enterance to the CCM (Missionary Training Center) inviting right? but in mexico if you want any privacy and wanna keep out the strays it's necessary

Week 3?  Time flies and all blends together!!

Week 2!!!!

alright so much to tell you :) yay!

 

again mom please leave translations at the bottom :) gracias!

 

there are about 800 missionaries aqui about 187 native english speaking hermanas and 49 latina hermanas for a grand total of 236 hermanas at the CCM

 

My casa is pink

 

I saw Elder Paul Larkin from the M;ission Viejo Stake....well I actually see him quite often its fun. I wave and give him handshakes...

 

so in my districto, hermana young and I shake the elder´s hands in "brief formal ways" to say I´m sorry and I feel your pain and I am so proud of you and excited for you...and we also do air 5´s (because high fives are not appropriate for missionarios) but its quite entertaining well be like " can I give you a short brief im sorry hand shake?"  muy divertida

 

i wrote a long letter to the familia with tons of details last week and I will give you more info on that later in my letter.

 

I will be released 24 Feb 2015 and leave the CCM 10 of OCT  Again...please dont send snail mail in october there is a very good chance i wont get it. gracias.

 

okay I had the hardest time learning  to say religión, sacerdocio, bautismo, and restaurar! and those words are kinda fundamental to the gospel! but its okay I am practicing but please listen and feel my pain when i say it is not easy! seriously look it up and try it!! i still have issues with restaurar...i cannot say it fast at all! i have to say it like....well i was going to say child but they can totally speak spanish way better than us!

 

hermana young and I assigned spirit animales to our districto:) maybe itll help you understand their personalities a bit better if you hear

 

neeley: golden retriever named lucky (loyal, always rthere and nice but not in your face)

Cook: kangaroo named fluffy (needs to be alittle fluffier bc he pack a punch)

hutchinson iguana named dragon because there is more that meets the eye and he can be a pet but not your normal one

silva: killer whale named killer (we are so original... hes not mean or anything but totally awesome )

byrd:cuckabura named Steve (like steve irwin, loves to laugh and joke and is always smiling and awesome)

brown giraffe named sheldon (quiet tall, but if you listen hes actually quite funny)

hunt:panda bear named willard (just plain awesome. loves to be in the middle of the fun and great natured and just lovable and big)

humphreys is a bison named chuck (he seems quiet and peaceful, and kinda naturally looks like he doesnt care, but hes a great listener and has a beautiful testimony)

maestro: hermano silva: hummingbird named archemedes (so much energia and beautiful and petite and fun sized the elders once joked of wanting to play catch with him as the ball- hes so good natured i really admire him)

 

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡me gusta mi districto!!! ( i found the upside down punctuation haha)

 

and when hermano silva tried to teach us a version of head shoulders knees and toes using cabeza cara hobros piers (feet) but forgot how to say shoulders...and kept saying hombres which is man...so I said "su es un hombre" to correct him and remind him man=hombre and he said "No, Usted es un hombre." HE CALLED ME A MAN!!!! I stared at him in shock! excuse me?! "no, no no you had said yours is a man, lo siento hermana ming" hahaha way awesome as we learn spanish ( if the joke doesnt make sense maybe my mom will further explain for you)

 

so now for the bad news. mi companera might be going home tomorrow.

(wait for shock and disbelief to be expressed)

ya, she got extremely sick this last week, like so much pain and nausea it was hard to walk! I pushed her around in a wheel chair (and chased birds with it and we may or may not have slingshot her with the elders  using the excersise bands we were given...maybe...) but she is really sick. she had pre-exsisting health difficulties like a hereditary digestive problem and anxiety, but she tells me this is a different kind of pain she has never experienced. and I believe her when she says this is something new, and slightly worse. it stinks. she is seriously my best friend here and I feel like i have known her for much longer than 2 little weeks. She is phenominal. and at first she and I rejected the idea that she would leave me and the district and go home, but later she prayed and felt peace over leaving. and through her testimony and my own prayers I was able to receive confirmation that I will be okay, that God will not leave me friendless. idk who will be my new companion (if i get one), if i will move houses (because I am currently the only companionship in my cuarto), if I will change districts (only hermanas) idk...its all in the air in the Lords hands. Its sad too because she REALLy doesn{t want to leave, especially because her family is not in any way supporting her decision or her ability to make the correct choice on her own. its difficult to watch.

 

I am so grateful that I have been blessed with Family and Friends that would support me both in my decision to serve a mission and would trust in me and in the Lord, should the Lord tell me I needed to leave early. I know that God loves us and He has blessed us with Agency and the ability to receive Revelation.

 

Jacob 4:13 (please post the scripture) I am not the only witness of the Gospel of truth, I have the Book of Mormon, Modern day Prophets, a companion, the Holy Ghost, and countless other testimonies of faith in this glorious gospel.

 

I love you all, I pray for you, I know this "la inglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días" The CHurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only True Church on the earth today. Keep the Faith

 

Hermana Ming

 

My First Week!!!

(My comments and/or translations are in blue - Momma Ming) --- LOVE THIS GIRL!  

SO!!! THIS IS IT!!!! MY FIRST WEEK HERE!!

so much to say and I can see my timer ticking away from 60 minutes down!

1. today (Tuesday) is my pday ("preparation day" where she is able to get things done like laundry, letters, etc.) i can email at my leisure whenever we want (but she only has 60 minutes)

2. mom i may accidentally slip into spanish...it comes and goes as it wants...will you please translate at the bottom of my emails ?

3. the keyboard is different so symbols or typos are going to happen and i just looked to see a place for my memory card....ya...nope lo siento mi familia y amigos (sorry my family and friends)

4. snail mail i hear takes about 10 days but an hermana that just left said that her bf sent her a letter 4 weeks previous...and we are now going to forward it to her mission...so...ya....lo siento idk the best way to communicate with me...oh!  and the CCM (MTC in Spanish) doesn't yet forward mail directly to your mission...so I will make friends in 4 weeks with the newbees

5. the mailing system in Chile is apparently on strike...someone please look into that for me...a guy here just came from Chile (parents=mission pres) and told me that.  (The strike officially ended August 28th)

6. the address not for the .....thing...packet mail! (pouch mail)

CArr. Tenayua-Chalmita No. 828,

Col. Zona Escolar, Deleg. G. A. Madero,

C. P. 07230, Mexico, D. F.; Mexico

idk if it works but the address on my packet is the one for the ccm that was right next to the templo (temple)

bueno suerte! (good luck)

I left my rain jacket in CA!!!!!!! AND IT DEFINITELY RAINS in mexico....and rains hard for like 30 mins! every day...except the day i decide to wear my boots...of course (smile) idk where the colon is...so...ya

Mi comppenera es Hermana Young cute thing from Salt lake city north going to ecuador quito north

and i had/have two other roommates. hermana cambell and hermana alvarado (sp?) no se...and i cant figure out the accent marks!!!!!! i had it before!!! i promise but now it isnt working.....ugh oh well...im just stressed for time...anyway.. its past and present tense because they are moving out bc h. cambell is going to the native spanish speakers class (lived in spain for a time) and alvarado is going to a different district and casa (house)...oh I live in a casa with 5ish rooms and 4 girls per room...no se (I don't know) any of the girls outside my room.

plane ride tender mercy:

while waiting to board my flight, i started talking to this lady who ended up going to texas for her sisters funeral ): sad right?  (i found the colon mark!!!!!!)but we talked about the hope for the future my mission hoow happy the church makes me...my mission and just looking for the good in others when the world looks for the bad ...she likes to travel so taking the awesome advice from mis padres, i asked if she had ever seen the SLC (salt lake City) temple...(it was the pic on my journal) and she said no...so i  gave her the pass along card with the SLC temple on it and the "what is the meaning of life" pregunta (question) on the back... yep it was awesome!! but it gets better right?! on the plane I got there before my seat mates and when this 30ish yr old guy comes for the  seat next to me (im window and 3 seats per row) and his first question " you arent a writer are you?" hahaha way funny bc i had tried to write in my journal before but gave up when I talked to the lady...found out he sat between 2 writers one a lefty and one a righty on his last flight and was way squished...anyway on that 2.5 hour flight we talked all about my mission the beliefs of our church and my faith and relationship with God. and quoted the first vision (he totally wanted to read Joseph Smith History!!!) when I left i gave him the pass along card with Jesus in the Americas and the free book of Mormon ad on the back with our mormon.org website on the back! way fun!! OH! i JUST REALIZED SOME OF THE PEOPLE ABOUT TO READ THIS MESSAGE ARE NOT A MEMBER of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!! if that is you and you are confused...pretty pretty PRETTY please email kidsroq@cox.net its my moms email...I am BEGGING YOU!!! if you really do like me.... ;) or some other source at least deal?

15 minutes left....

anyway I was so glad to meet leeland and try to inspire him to be the best him he can be...besides that all our church is really trying to do...provide us with a way to be happy forever.

The CCM is AMAZING!!!

Brown & Hunt

Neeley (district leader) & Humphreys

Silva (same last name as our teacher) & Byrd (total ginger ! and going to the same place as me)

Hutchinson (alvarado=roommate=bff) & Cook (chile=parents)

I really want my raincoat its salmon (ok pink) and soo cute and I love it and want it....becauseI also forgot an umbrella...oops! the umbrella is not as important as the raincoat...pretty please send it?

I challenge you to learn the song Called to Serve in Spanish before I get home! I almost have the chorus memorized!

And I and I knew the most spanish starting off in clase (class) and would translate our instructors words...mi companera is close behind me though she knows almost all the words i know! and she had zero spanish experience!!!

We taught an investigator in spanish for the first time on FRIDAY!!!!! it was insane!!! and so fun!! our third lesson was supposed to be yesterday, but the elders took too long and stole our time!! oh well we felt prepared and really like her...tender mercy!! One day when it was raining mucho! (a lot!!) h young and I took off our jflats and socks and ran and laughed to our clase (class)! way fun!! h young loves to sing and sings all the time and I started to sing randomly again too...like actually songs not pointless humming of notes  :) its fun!

Hermano Silva is our teacher and Muy (very) amazing!!! we love him..23 years old from Mexico? and served a mission...somewhere...in mexico? i think..no se... (I don't know)

no tengo mucho tiempo (I don't have much time)

I love you all and love it here It feels like i have been here for 4 weeks already I have learned so much. Keep the faith and D&C 88:67-68 look it up :) in lds,org  http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/88.67-68?lang=eng

Hermana Ming

ps i respond to HErmana!!

Safe and Sound

Tuesday, August 27, 2013 9:34 PM

I am finally at the MTC!!!! apparently they didn't know that i was actually coming...but it all worked out because I found a super nice lady and her daughter that spoke English and helped me make phone calls after i realized my debit card wouldn't work in the pay phone.

i also met the guy i was supposed to talk to and gave away both pass along cards before i got to houston :) i will say more in my actual email...i dont think i am supposed to write about it now...but it is really tricky not communicating in spanish...

i love you, and i am totally okay

Hermana Ming

ps lots of pictures already

Let the Adventure Begin!

 (Sunday night - at a little Open House with her friends and family)

(John Wayne Airport - August 27th)

August 28, 2013 Its been a wonderful experience getting Konrie ready to serve her mission in Rancagua, Chile.  She is such an amazing young woman.  She is ready!!  After missing her flight at 6:45 am due to a series of unfortunate events we got her to the airport again at noon.  (We told her there must be a reason she missed that flight so to look for it.)  Off she went.  Its was a tough time saying goodbye to our sweet daughter/sister knowing we won't see her for 18 months, but of course, we are so happy for her.  It was good to get her quick email letting us know she arrived safely.  Can hardly wait for our first full email!