5 Months

Well today marks 5 months in the mission!!!!! Pretty crazy that I am close to only having a year left. Wow that is crazy! I cannot even let myself think about that haha. We have yet again a week of miracles and seeing the Lords hand in our lives each and everyday. Shout out to Addison Jean today for turning 9 years old!!!! I am so proud of you Addi and will see you in a year!!!

So this week was just wow! We have been getting prepared for our baptism this Saturday for Fernanda and all is working out smoothly and we should have no problems. We are so excited for her to make this first covenant with Heavenly Father. I cannot even explain the joy I feel to be able to watch her be baptized this week. There is nothing better than seeing the fruits of our labors.

Well we have our sweet Micaela who is 17 years old and actually lives in Maldonado 1. She is 17 years old and got permission from her parents this week to be baptized!!!! We also have gotten permission to teach her and have her baptized in our ward so we are going to be teaching her about 4 times a week for the next two weeks and are going to try to have her baptism not this Saturday but the next right before cambios. Wow the Lords hand truely is here in Maldonado with us. I am so grateful!

Anotonio and Carla are planning to get married this December and then he will be being baptized despues este. We are just working through all the charlas with him right now and so far everything is running super smoothly and his testimony is growing more and more each day.

This week was just a really successful week of hard work. We had a day where we had 6 new investigators in one day!!!! The Lord is really working and leading us to the people who are prepared to hear this message.

Fun things you all need to know:

1. I will be giving my first talk this Sunday. Wow scary.

2. All houses here have names not numbers. It is pretty sweet.

3. No we do not have AC, Heaters, or dryers for our clothes.

I would love to invite you all to read a talk by Elder Vinson called Drawing Closer to God. I read it this week and it really changed my aspect on what a relationship with our Father in Heaven should really be like. I love you all so much and I hope you all remember that you are children of a loving Heavenly Father who loves you always and is always looking out for you. Have an amazing week of miracles.

Le quiero,

Hermana Labrum

JUST ANOTHER WEEK IN PARADISE

Hello friends and family!!!!! What another week of miracles here in the mission. This was a little bit harder of a week I will not lie but we made it and we saw some great things happen this week.

This week we had a baptism for a couple in our ward (they are the elders investigators) but it was a great opportunity to get some of our investigators to see a baptism. Well this week we had a charla just with Alfonoso and it went so good he actually showed us that he has genuine interest; he is just a little stubborn haha. Well we invited him to the baptism but really did not think he would come. We went to his house the night of to invite Fernanda also and he had already told her and they were ready to go!!! It was so awesome to have them there. I really think they felt something and they made lots of friends. They stayed longer at the baptism than we did.

Sunday Fernanda came to church!!!!! This was HUGE progression for us and she stayed all 3 hours. Alfonoso did not go but I was okay with that. It is gonna be poco a poco with him. We also had another investigator Mikaela in the chuch this week. She is 17 and absolutely amazing. I have really enjoyed getting to know her and work with her and feel her progression and love for the church.

We had a service Saturday this week so we spent all day painting and cleaning a school and it was so so fun!!!! We also threw a bridal shower for one of the elders investigators and that was a super fun experience too. I found a ice cream place this week and I have been buying ice cream everyday haha and wow it makes me so happy.

This week I had the opportunity to watch the Restoration with two investigators and I realized how strong my testimony is of Joseph Smith. I know he was a prophet and that he translated the Book Of Mormon. I know that because of the things he suffered I have the ability to have this amazing church in my life but also every blessing I really has came from him. I have temples so I can have my family forever, I have a Book that brings me greater peace and joy than anything, and I have a understanding of My Heavenly Fathers love for me. I invite you all to pray again to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet and receive another witness of this truth.

I love and miss you all so much. Have an amazing week!!!!

Le quiero,

Hermana Labrum

WEEK OF MIRACLES

Hello friends and family!!! Wow what a week it has been!!! We have seen so many miracles and tender mercies this week. Today was actually the best Pday ever!!! Today we went to Piriapolis which is one of the prettiest and most touristy parts of Uruguay, We rode a ski lift up a mountain and hung out at the beach and just had the best day. We met a few Americans because there were lots of cruise ships docked here today!!! We literally had the best time. Definitely relieved a lot of stress and we are ready for this week!!!

Best news from the week is that my invesitgator Fernanda has a baptism date!!!! She will be getting baptized the 15 of October. I ca not explain the happiness I am feeling. I cried (actually bawled) when she committed to being baptized. Since we planned her date she has been inviting everyone to her baptism, haha she is super excited and I am so so happy for her. My first convert is on the way!!!!!! The other best part. We had a couple of charlas with just her husband Alfonoso this week and he came with us to a noche de hogar(family home evening) and he is really starting to love the church and what it has to offer. We are planning on a baptism there in the next cambio and then they are planning to work on getting to the temple. I love my mission!

This week we have a new investigator! His name is Antonio and his girlfriend and mother in law are members. They just moved here so we are getting them accustomed to Maldonado. He has never had an interest in the church before but all of a sudden he wants to give it a try so we are starting the discussions and doing lots of noche de hogars with him.

This week with Marcela was really rough. We found her one day with a new broken arm and just super messed up because she fell drunk in the street again. Well we stayed with her for a while and then she said she was leaving to buy alcohol and we left and then found her down in the street again bleeding. We took her home and stayed with her on and off for about 4 hours just trying to make her stay in because she just runs through the streets if we leave her. Well we finally could not do anything else so we had to leave and I just cried. It was the worst feeling to know I could not do anything to help. But good news. She is probably heading for a facility this week for three months to help her quit drinking and so we are hoping for the best with that.

Conference was awesome!!!!!!! We had to watch them all in Spanish but it was great. Fernanda came to a session and also Antonio. The theme of this conference really was just about how important it is to have a good relationship with our savior and to use the Atonement in our lives. I am so grateful to have a prophet on the earth today and for the opportunity to watch conference. I love you all and hope you have an amazing week. Thank you for the prayers and support. I can feel them.

Le quiero,

Hermana Labrum

I LOVE MY MISSION!

Hello friends and fambam!!! Wow what an amazing week we have had. Wednesday Hermana Guth left to return home to her family and I literally cried all day long. It was so hard to lose another best friend but I definitely plan on going to visit her in the future. I got Hermana Harpole!!! Wow I cannot express my love for her. We are working so dang hard and we are seeing the fruits of our labors. 

So I think I explained a little about Maria Estela and how she wanted to drop us because of beliefs in metafisica but I was not giving up so we had one more charla (lesson). This week we were on tornado alert and I have never been in a storm this big. There were literally trees falling everywhere and I was actually scared but we were not skipping that charla so we went out anyways and walked 50 minutes to her house. And guess what??!!! It worked. She wanted to continue learning and wow I was so happy. We had a charla with her Saturday and taught about the Restoration and she was 100 percent in. She told us she was going to come to the church Sunday and if she did not like it she was done. I have never prayed so hard or that much in my life that she would like it and feel something different. Well she came all three hours Sunday and sent a message after that she loved it and she was so grateful we came into her lives and she will be there next Sunday. There is not a better feeling in the entire world. She is making major progress.

We found a nuevo this week named Andrea and wow she is awesome. She is trying to overcome a drug addiction right now and it is working she is getting better and so she is ready to find a purpose for her life. Well we had a charla and she cried the whole time about how she felt something so special. She is definitely ready for the gospel and I am so excited to see the changes she will be making in the next weeks.

We had over 80 contacts in the last week which is awesome because we are really out to find the people that Heavenly Father has prepared for us and I know we are going to have an extremely successful cambio. We currently have 9 investigators and 2 that are progressing rapidly. The misson is a dream come true!

This week I was reading in Mosiah 2:41 and it talks about the blessings from living the commandments. It says when we live these commandments we will have never ending happiness. I know this to be true. When we are doing what our father in heaven asks us too in each and every way we will receive more blessings than we can imagine. I watch everyday as the people we teach try to be more obedient and I also watch this in my life and the outcome is incredible. I know that when we are doing what is right in all times we will be blessed and life will be just a little bit easier for us. I love you all so much. Thank you for the support and prayers and emails. They make my week. I love you!

Le quiero,

Hermana Labrum

Photos

You Can Call Me "Elder Labrum"

I am sure you are all wondering what the significance is of my name being Elder Labrum. Well my friends, in this mission we now have to wear pants (practically the same as Elders) from October to May when we are out in the streets and we do not have a choice. I do not know if you all understand how hot it gets here and we will be in dress slacks. I think you can assume I am slightly nervous but he,y trust in the Lord in all things and that is exactly what I am going to do - hah!!. Also I hit my 4 month mark this week - pretty wild how quickly time flies here. Also CAMBIOS (transfers)!!!! Well I am of course staying in Maldonoado with my comp being Hermana Harpole!!!! My best friend in the mission!!!! What a blessing to get to be with her here in Maldonado.

It was a slightly harder week, I am not gonna lie but we survived and learned a lot. We had Noche de hogars cada noche (family home evening) and also we had a farewell party for Hermana Guth that went super well. I am so so sad to see her go but man I sure learned a lot from her.

So new investigator: Maria Estela. She was a reference from the church website but she is super busy so we just barely had our first charla (discussion) with her. It was amazing. She was so receptive to Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and asked if she could come to church with us WITHOUT OUR INVITATION!!!! This is an hour walk for her to the chapel and she was 100 percent in. Wow what a blessing! Also she submitted this 4 months ago and we just received it so obviously it was in the Lord's timing. About 4 hours later she sent a message saying that we are her angels and was so glad we came into her life. Then 3 hours after that a new message saying she believed in the metafisica and was not ready at this time. Pretty weird and quite a change. We think she read somethings or her husband said something. But you know that I will not give up that easily. We called and she agreed to a charla tonight. We have been praying our hearts out that we can save this for her. I know she has been prepared and I am willing to do whatever is necessary to bring her unto Christ.

We had an intercambio (exchange) this week with Hermana Delcompare from Guatemala and it was one of my funnest days in the mission.  We were in pan De Azucar and wow it was so great. Marcela had a bit of a hard week this week but that is what happens with addictions. Little by little. She is reading and praying now which is super awesome. We also had three investigators that came to the ward party which was super awesome because they now have friends in the church!!!!

I would love to invite you all to read Alma 26:11-12. It is about how through the Strength of God we can do all things. I know this to be true with my whole heart. He lifts me up everyday when I feel down and teaches me things each day through His love. How blessed I am to be here in the mission of Uruguay Montevideo. I love you all. Have an amazing week and know Hermana Labrum is happy and safe.

Le quiero,

Hermana Labrum

Living the Dream

Hello friends and family!!! Wow the time is flying in the mission! I feel like I was just writing you guys last Monday!!! Haha, I love the mission! I do not think I can say it enough. This week was wild. The weather has turned freezing again and the sun did not come out once this week and it rained just about everyday but we made the most of it. After the trial of your faith comes the blessings right??!! Haha, but man what a week. So first off this is a really sad week for me. This is my final week with my best friend Hermana Guth. She heads home to Brazil in exactly 10 days and I cannot express how sad I am. She is amazing and really changed my mission for me. Wow I am sad! Next time I write you guys I will know who my new companion is. Pretty wild that another six weeks is almost gone.

This week we made major progress with Marcela!!! She prayed every single day and even read the Book of Mormon!! She laughed and smiled and we talked in English and she is starting to drink other sodas with her alcohol to tone it down a bit which is huge. She has stopped smoking when we are in the house because she feels awful when she smokes in front of us. Wow it is amazing to watch someone change. She is headed to medical this week to try and get a medication to help her with her drinking. Wow I love the mission - there is nothing better than seeing someone change because of what you are doing.

This week we did a big service project for some of our investigators. They are struggling with money and do not have very much food to eat so we brought this up in corellation and got with the Ward and everyone donated. We expected just a little food but man!!! ABOUT 4 HUGE BAGS!!! What a miracle!!! We arrived with the food to their houses and they were extremely grateful. It was an awesome feeling and we hope it will help them realize how special and different our church is.

Well hard part of this week. Our investigator Franco dropped us. We think someone told him some stuff that is not true about the church. But man we talked with him for a while and I have never testified as strongly as I did in this moment. I realized that this church is everything for me and I explained this to him very strongly. I have never felt so strong in my testimony, I know he will be a member. We planted the seed; now he just needs time.

We have about 6 investigators right now but the struggle is having progression. We have a few futures this week that we have high hopes for.

I would love to invite you all to read Alma 34:27. All we need is faith and a desire and we can learn the truth in anything and accomplish all that we need with the help of the Lord. I know it without a doubt. He gets me through my weakest moments but also my strongest. He is my rock and I know He will save us and help us if we let Him. I hope you all have an amazing week. Thank you for the love and support. I love you so so much.

Le Quiero,

Hermana Labrum