This week has been great!

  Last monday we were able to go on a hike! It was awesome! haha I miss hiking so much! And it was cool cause, it's washington, and everything is so green and we were hiking through a forrest!

  Another plus of this week was the stake activity we were able to help out with! Our branch was in charge and we did like a salsa dance night! It was fun to help them decorate and learn how to cook authentic food! I like how I got to experience a little of their culture even here in America!

  And then we were able to help renovate a local Boys & Girls Club! we got to paint! It was a lot of fun! and good to be out helping the community!

So Maria (our recent convert) had an eye surgery this last week on her left eye, so we went over to see how she was doing and to help her clean and cook and stuff. But before we left, we shared 3 Nephi 13:22 haha it talks about have an eye single to God..haha it made her laugh cause right now she has a patch on one eye haha it was good.

This week Hna Pirir and I have been listening to some talks, and I really liked one scripture that John Bytheway talks about. 1 Nephi 11:17. Nephi says that he doesn t know the meaning of all things, but he does know that God loves His children. I really like this because, no matter what happens in life, if we truly know that God loves us, everything will be okay. And as we come to comprehend the amount of love He does have for us, it will lead us to want to obey Him and do the best we can. And we dont have to know the meaning of all things.

I love you all! and thank you for all your support! :) 

I hope everyone has a great week! 

This week has been full of ups and downs...but luckily way more ups!! 

Maria Lopez was able to be baptized!!! it was awesome and she is such a sweetheart and was soo excited and happy!! Her testimony is so strong! even though she has been very sick for awhile, she doesnt let that stop her from growing in the gospel!! and then to feel the spirit so strongly while she was being confirmed was great. The gospel really does change lives!! I am so excited to be able to keep working with her and prepare her for the temple! :)

I was asked to bear my testimony in sacrament meeting, so that was fun. haha its way more nerve-racking to bear testimony at a pulpit then it is on a doorstep haha

so, this week, i kept asking myself, "why spanish?" i felt as though i would be able to touch a lot more people in english. i was kinda feeling discouraged, but never lost sight of my calling and that Heavenly Father knows i can do this. However, in a personal study I was able to read D&C 60:2-3.
 "mas con algunos no estoy muy complacido, porque no quieren abrir su boca, sino que esconden el talento que les he dado, a causa del temor de los hombres. Ay de estos!, porque mi enojo esta encendido en contra de ellos. Y acontecera que si no me son mas fieles, les sera quitado aun lo que tienen"

sorry i only brought my spanish bom with me haha. but basically what is says is that God was upset with the elders because they had not opened their mouths and used the talent He had given them. And that if they dont use the talent, it will be taken away. I really liked this and it stood out to me a lot. It helped me realize that i need to keep practicing and use this ability that Heavenly Father has given me. and i need to do all that i can to learn the language and "open my mouth" and not complain but rejoice for this chance that i have to learn spanish!! this can apply to you guys at home too! dont be afraid to open your mouths and share what you know! and use the talents you have been given!

so here i am! ready to learn more! and serve in every way that i can! and ready to start another week!

i love you all! and am so grateful for all of your support!

Hermana Sarah Spackman

Hola de Washington!

well, I am here! and I absolutely love it! first off, my trainer is amazing! Hermana Pirir is from Guatemala, so she is fluent is spanish which really helps me! Her english is also really good! and she has been a great example and very patient with me! I love her! it has been really fun!

we are serving in Monroe and have an awesome spanish branch here! the members are so nice and welcoming!  and the area and scenery are very pretty!! and there is definitely a lot of potential here! haha even though there is a different church on every corner haha 

the hispanics are pretty nice here, but i have learned that sometimes they are too nice. and instead of saying they are not interested, they tell us to come again another day. which makes me all excited to see them again! but i have found that most of the time that means they dont want to talk with us haha i just have too much trust in people haha oh well! :) but they are always willing to tell you about they life story! even if you just met them!

and yes, it rains plenty haha however the couple days i was here, it was sunny and didnt rain. and i was like "huh, i guess it doesnt rain as much as everyone says" but then it started raining haha.. so when we come home at night, we are usually pretty wet haha

as we were studying for an investigator, i was reading Mosiah chapter 18...it talks a lot about how we need to have unity in the church and why we go to church every week and stuff like that! it was pretty cool and i encourage you all to read it!

and i encourage you all to be more aware of your surroundings, especially at church. this week we had an investigator come to church. she had to come in order to be baptized this saturday, however she has some health problems that restrict her from driving and she needs her husband to take her. sometimes he will say he can take until the last ten minutes and then he backs out.. and it has been really hard for her to do what she really wants to do, which is be baptized. and so right before church she called and told us she was not going to make it... and she seemed really upset.. but then! she surprised us by coming to second hour and sacrament! (we have sacrament last) and it was awesome! we were so happy! and while we were sitting in RS, she was crying...i think it was really hard for her to get there...and the relief society members were arguing about what kind of salsa to bring for an activity... and it made me a little mad. like here we have someone who sacrifices so much to be at church and we cant even have a simple lesson, we are arguing about stuff that dont even matter.

anyway, i just wanted to let you guys know that i am doing great! and i love being able to be a missionary!! :) i have learned so much and i cant wait to keep learning! and I know that the church and the gospel are true! I know that i am happy because of the gospel and i want to help others live happy!

i love you all! have a good week!

Hermana Sarah Spackman

Saying Goodbye! Off to Washington:) 

¡Hola!

This week was full of a lot of personal revelation and getting ready for the field!!

on sunday, we were able to watch a devotional by Elder Bednar called "The Character of Christ". I encourage all of you guys that can, to watch it! it has changed the way i pray and the way i view my mission purpose!! His massage gave me a new perspective on how to become more Christlike. also look up #becausehelives

Another lesson we had by one of the presidents here, was about the Holy Ghost. and how he is an equal member of the Godhead. that was really cool for me to think about that cause, to be honest, i used to list them as first Heavenly Father, Christ, then the Holy Ghost. but how cool is it that we can have a member of the God head with us ALWAYS. "The Holy Ghost is NO LESS of companion then having Heavenly Father or Christ with you." -President Call. he also taught how we should want the Holy Ghost with us as much as we want air. it was a very good talk that really helped me reflect on what i should be doing to desire, not just have, but desire to have the holy ghost with me always.

the rest of the week has been filled with excitement and goodbyes. we got our flight plans! we have to leave the ccm at 2 in the morning on tuesday!! i am really excited and nervous! but i cant wait to learn more!!

as one of our goals, we have been talking with natives everyday, especially the workers. it has been so cool to get to know them and to make friends! one of the workers name is Wichi and he talks to us everyday about his "secrets to serving a mission" haha and its awesome! he gives us some great tips! and last night me an hna fiftita stayed and helped him clean after dinner and he told us like his whole life story and showed us pictures of his family! it was so cool! and we could understand and follow almost everything he was saying! we love talking with him! and it makes me super excited to be able to get to know and love the people of washington!

today, one of out elders planned a scavenger hunt thing for us today for our last pday! it was fun and a change from our regular routines!

anyway, i would love to hear from you guys and know how everything is going!

 i absolutely love being a missionary! and cant wait to spread the happiness and peace that comes from this gospel!

I love you all!

   -Hermana Sarah Spackman