Keeping covenants and COMING unto Him :)

Hello everyone!!

Did you have a happy week? I hope so :)

Did you see LOTS of blessings from the Lord? Did you thank Him for those blessings? Did you seek to serve others? 

....... Excellent :) I knew I could trust in you, my wonderful friends and family, to continue to bless the lives of others!!! And let me tell you something - if you want to have a happy day, serve others. Make them happy. Trust me, it works :)

I had a very rewarding week, because we worked SO hard to serve everyone around us. Every night as I fell into bed, I honestly felt like I had given everything to the Lord. And that made me happy :)

We are working hard to prepare for our next trip to the temple, which will be on March 14th! Our goal is to take 20 recent converts with us :) For all of them, it will be their first time going to the temple, and their first time taking their own names to the temple to perform the baptisms :) I know that it will be an AMAZING experience! We have to work so hard to prepare, though. One of our greatest trials is animating and encouraging the Elders in our zone. To be able to take these people to the temple... the Elders have to coordinate a lesson with us here in our office. They bring their recent converts and then we are able to teach them and prepare them to bring names to the temple. But if the Elders don't bring their recent converts and less actives who are reactivating.... we can't do anything! 

The zone leaders asked me to give a workshop to all of the Elders on Saturday morning as a special training. They realize that there are difficulties with the Elders... but they didn't know why. So they asked me to figure out why... and present a workshop to fix it. .... Wow. Pressure, no? My companion was going to give a workshop on another topic. 

Soo.... I prayed a lot. I thought about the times when we are teaching out in the field... and an investiagtor doesn't keep their commitments. WHY does this happen? When an investigator doesn't keep their commitments, they will always give you a million excuses. But those excuses are not the reason why. When someone doesn't keep their commitments, it is because they don't understand the DOCTRINE. Here in our zone, in Ica, Perú.... we are not keeping our commitments when it comes to family history. We are not reaching our goals. ..... WHY? Because we didn't understand the DOCTRINE. 

So - I studied the doctrine. I prayed. I meditated. I listened to the Spirit. And Heavenly Father prepared me to be able to teach with the Spirit the things that the Elders needed to hear. 

The doctrine of family history really starts in the Restoration. 

What do we teach in the Restoration?

Every missionary knows that through Joseph Smith, Jesus Christ's church was once again restored, with the same authority and principles that existed when it was first established.

But what does that MEAN? What was restored? What Priesthood? What keys? What powers? What authority? What ordinances? When the Church of Jesus Christ was restored, ALL OF THE ORDINANCES AND KEYS were restored. Read Doctrine and Covenants 110:13-16. Think about it. Think about what happened. What an amazing truth. We HAVE all of the keys for this dispensation. 

We have the keys to seal on earth and in heaven.

We have the POWER to have eternal families :) 

Hearts are turning. We are living in the Restoration. The Lord tells us in these verses that "the time has fully come." The time is here :) The time to prepare for the "great and dreadful day of the Lord." ...The Second Coming. 

Jesus Christ is really coming :) Now here is my question for you. What are you doing to COME unto Him? What are you doing to help OTHERS come unto Him? Think about the covenants you have made with the Lord - and how you are keeping them :) Every day we have to come unto Christ by repenting and honoring our covenants. Not just on Sundays when we take the Sacrament... every day :)

I know that this is the true church. I know that covenants with God are real. I know that the power of covenant KEEPING is real. I know that families are forever :)

Have a happy week - keep your covenants. Seek to serve. Come unto Him. 

The church is true!

Hermana Sintay :)

PS. HAPPIEST news that I received this week....... Hermana Maylin, our wonderful golden convert who was baptized while I was in Chincha... went to the TEMPLE to do vicarious baptisms for her FAMILY this week :) Now I know her heart is changed. And it is changed forever. And I PROMISE you that my heart is happier than ever :) :) :) :) :)

I love Peruvian food, but....  

We made TACOS on Saturday!!!!!!!!! We made them just because my comp is Mexican, tacos don't exist in Perú jajajaja :)  

My Mexican companion taught me how to cook like a REAL Mexicana ;)

The hermano that is with us owns this restaurant, and let us cook with him :)

It's a good thing I am not serving my mission in México ;)If I served in Mexico, I would gain 50 lbs.. jajajaja

Hermana Villena (de Ecuador) and me, eating mangos.............. Let me tell you. I am obsessed with mangos. I eat at least one mango everyday. jajaja   THEY ARE MY WEAKNESS!!!