¡Feliz año nuevo!

Hey Y'all
I hope you had a very merry christmas and that new year will be great. I hope everyone has put a few goals and a few other plans to achieve your goals for this year.
My week has been interesting as all weeks are for me. We are preparing for 10 new missionaries the first part of this change and in the course of the change we are preparing for another 5 the 3rd week and another 9 the 6th week and then the next group will be another 9 the first week of next change. Strange, but that is what we are preparing for. So changes are next week, 2 hnas go home from belice so we'll be sending 2 hnas, and we also will be sending at least 3 elders because 3 elders go home from belice this change as well. I think it will be more than 3, but we'll see next monday. Lets see tuesday we worked a mas o menos normal day, a little rough, all our citas fell, all of our plans fell, and contacting didn't pan out with anything. pero asi es de vez en cuando. Wed we had meetings and then we worked more (yeay) Thurs I went to San Salvador to be with one of the nurses from the other mission to learn more about the hospitals that they use there in San Salvador. We were there for all of the morning, and came back to santa ana about 3 and we went to the office so I could look at the ingrown toenail of an Elder who was there for training. We got back to the area about 530 and of course we worked some more. I got a calendar for the next change so I can know when things are and where and not put apointments when there are other things.
Well, thats about it for my week, love y'all,
Hna Allen

Feliz Navidad!

Hola familia!
Feliz navidad y prospero año nuevo.
This week has flown by, we've been working in trio in both my area and the area of Hna Montalvan. The hard part is my investigators aren't in the house much before 5 and Hna Montalvan's aren't either. We managed to do divisions a few times so we could both teach our investigators, but it isn't the same as working in your area all day. We have found some very positive investigators this week. It has been a great time to contact because people are in the house, they are also a little more stressed so they are more willing to accept help. Last night when we got back from doing divisions all day we didn't have electricity, so we planned, and ate by candle light, and we went to bed early. This morning we cleaned the house, and while we were cleaning Elder Molina(one of the assistants) called me to tell me that today Hna Martinez(the Hna who had dengue) was going to go to Juayua to be with Hna Ellis, where my companion Hna Salazar was, and Hna Salazar was coming back and Hna de Leon was coming back and 2 sisters were coming from belice, and one was going to where Hna de Leon was and the other to a different area. So we got ready for the day, and headed to Rio Zarco to pack Hna Martinez' bags and then Elder Beaton(other assistant) and one of the Zone leaders in Juayua took us(the tree of us) to Juayua to take Hna Martinez and bring back Hna Salazar. Now we are in the office waiting for The Hnas from belice so Hna Montalvan can go and bring back her comp to her area. Whew what a day, but it has been fun.
This week I have been studying in the Liahona from General conference, I loved the talk by Elder Uchtdorf about that we are so small and insignificant in comparison to all the creations of the universe, but that we are so important to our Heavenly Father. I also have been reading in Alma, I started into the war chapters, but it is a liitle slow, because I keep having to pause to look up words. The words are very different than what we use talking everyday.
Love ya
Hna Allen

¡Feliz Navidad!

Feliz Navidad de Santa Ana!
THis week has been packed with crazyness and adventure. Last thurs one of the Hna started having a headache and fever, we treated as we would a normal flu, and she rested and slept and drank water and gatorade and took tylenol until sunday when she suddenly got a bloody nose, poor thing, we became concerned that it could progress to be hemoragic dengue, and we took her to the hospital where they ran tests and she was diagnosed with dengue clasico, so she has been in the hospital since sunday and all day yesterday and last night I was with her there in the hospital so her comp could go get clean clothes and a few other things that they need, and also be freed from the square of a hospital room for a while. Today her platelets started to increase finally and she'll leave the hospital to come and stay with me for a few more days. In addition to her a few other sick elders and sisters has made this a very complicated week. Sunday night another compañerismo came to stay in my house and we wound up having to do a lot of arranging and yesterday one of the Hnas and My comp hna Salazar went to Juayua to the area, and the sick one stayed in the house with Hna Montalvan and Hna Villatoro(comp of the one who has dengue) went and did all the things she had to do with hna De Leon(comp of hna Montalvan) and the mess continues today. We'll see what happens with that, also another elder went to San Salvador for toe surgery(ingrown toenail) and another for follow up after his scope, and whew what a week for the nurse and all who have the (mis)fortune to live with her.
But Tuesday we had capacitacion again, and I learned a lot, and then I stayed in the house with the sick hna and read and read and read, and then yesterday in the hospital again I read and read and read and read. I think if this continues I'll finish Alma before the end of the week. I have enjoyed the time to read, but it is hard to be inside all day when you know there is so much to do outside.
Tomorrow is our multizona navideña and I will be singing :D and we'll play games and it will be great. I hope that all goes well and in the end I'll be able to go(AKA that I don't have to stay here in modelo with the sick ones)
I have loved reading the stories about themissionaries in Alma and (after 3 days of the fundamentals) being able to see, yes this is this fundamental, this is how you teach tal principio, what inspired questions, teaching lesson 2 because that is what they need, etc.
I've been learning a lot and I have been enjoying the holidays here. It is deffinately different, just like everything else. I thought at first that things being so different would make me homesick, but things are so different that they don't even remind me of home, so at times I find it difficult to believe that it is december(my mind goes DECEMBER? WHERE IS THE SNOW?) that it is christmas time(I am in short sleeves and quite comfortable) etc. I have been enjoying the more traditional foods that they make for christmas, which againare nothing like home.
My time is up love y'all tons
Hna Allen

Salú

Hey Y'all,
Greetings from El Salvador, This week has flown by, we almost haven't worked with all the meetings we've had this week. Monday of course I was in the office, Then we came back, and made baliaras with a less active family( the tortillas were excellent and I made them thank you) tuesday we had fundamentals of preach my gospel which is training to help us be better teachers, to work more effectively, and to see where we need to be better. I love the capacitaciones, because I learn so much, and we practice too so you put in practice how to teach people. In the begining(my first few) I felt a little weird, but now I love them because I always learn so much from the other missionaries, they might use different scriptures to address a problem, or they might teach a principle with a different object lesson, or just the way they teach that helps me learn so much, not to mention then I get to practice applying what we are learning and I become a better missionary for it. After Fundamentals we came back to the area, and made baliaras again, with a different family from the ward, we were supposed to have FHE and recieve references, butthe last moment the references couldn't make it, so we made baliaras with the family and taught the family about how they can prepare other people to hear the gospel. Wednesday we had our district and zone meetings. President changed the schedule a little so now we'll have training with our zone and district every week in addition to the normal meetings and anouncements. So we finished our meetings went back to the house, ate made the dough for baliaras (again) and went to work. Then in the night we had another FHE with a less active family and had baliaras again. Thursday we had Fundamentos de predicad mi evangelio again, and when we came back to the area, we didn't eat or make baliaras, we just taught investigators and less active families that we are working with. And now it is friday. We came to the Stake center early to practice because next friday we have a multizona navideña and all of the zones are going to sing a hymn, also on sunday after that is the fireside for the stake, and the missionaries are singing for that as well. I have been asigned to sing soprano because no one else can reach the notes (and sound marginally pretty) for Joy to the World.
Next friday, because it will be the multizona navideña we'll probably write on thursday.
I hope you got the package that I sent with Hna Woods, and I hope as well that it makes sense.
I got the christmas package. Thankyou for the christmas music. I guessed that I shouldn't open the other things because they are wrapped in christmas paper. If I guessed wrong please correct me. My companions are very very curious to see what is inside these packages. They are the only presents under our little tree. and I think that adds the the curiosity. I think one of them is a rewrapper(opens the presents to see what is inside and then rewraps them to put them under the tree) if I had my guess with her 'just open them what is inside?'
This week in one of the capacitactiones president showed us a video on LDS.org of the dedication of the Temple in El Salvador. It is a great glimps of the culture and way of life of those who live in the city. Not so much for those del campo.
Hey mom, Do you work the 24th or the 25th? When would be the time/day that I could find the most people in the house Christmas day is sunday I get out of church at 12, andI could call after that, or I can call in the night on the 24th after 830 here.
My time is about up but Just real fast This week I have learned about how to work better with the members. President put the example that now is the time of the harvest, and we as missionaries if we aren't working with the members we are just cutting by hand, which isn't as effective, he said the members are like combines, and sometimes we work with them but not in the way that is most effective, like we are feeding the grain to the machine to thresh, but we aren't using the combine to cut. Then he said, if we work more effectively with the members we can triple our results. He said we need to help them, teach them, train them like we've been trained and help them work with us. When we do this it is like now we let the combine do its job to cut the grain. The harvest is mucho mucho mas eficaz. Family, work with the missionaries.
Here is a game we've been playing with our members to help them see that they have friends and family that the lord has prepared for the gospel. Make a list of names of people you know.
Members, non members family friends etc the more names on the list the better and the one who has the most names on their list wins. (for us when we ask for the list we just write the names down ourselves becaus many people can't read or write) Then we sing a hymn, pray, read some scriptures about missionary work, and then invite the head of the family to pray to know which of the people who's names are written on this list to kneel and pray to know who the lord has prepared to hear the gospel. We say the prayer, and they mark the names then we put a plan for how we will invite them to hear the message(invite them to FHE one night Dinner with the missionaries etc) and practice with the member what they will say, how they will invite these friends, and help them feel more confident to invite their friends to their house, to learn about the gospel.
We're working for a white christmas ;D
Love ya
Hna Allen

Ya estamos en Deciembre

Greetings from El Salvador
This week has passed by rather quickly. Saturday we worked like normal. Sunday church, and bastante comida as usual. Monday in the office, Tuesday we worked like normal, Wednesday district meeting and worked like normal, wednesday in the afternoon I started feeling not so good, and went to bed early, even though enfermos called me up until 10:30, so I didn't get to sleep, I just got to lay down. Thursday I woke up in the middle of the night sick. With fever, my body hurt, etc. Don't worry I consulted the nurse and I'll get better(LOL). Today yay no fever, but I feel weak, and a little dizzy, and my head, back, arms and legs still hurt but I am getting better.
To clarify, here in El Salvador(and all of central america) they don't celebrate thanksgiving. We celebrated thanksgiving because Hna and president Cordon decided to have thanksgiving multizonas and we ate thanksgiving dinner. Were it not for that Thanksgiving would have passed without comment.
I con't really think of to much to write today. Sorry.
Con mucho cariño
Hna Allen

Feliz Dia de accion de Gracias!(un dia tarde)

Hello y'all. Happy late thanksgiving!
This week was changes Sat we we worked (yeay) we sent Hna Estrada wih the other Hnas and we went and worked with one of the young men. He likes to accompany us. Sunday we knocked a ton of doors to remind people of church, but unfortunately all of our investigators 'had conflicts that came up suddenly' and couldn't come, and a few Recent converts and Less actives that we have been working with also said the same thing. Sunday afternoon worked some more-in trio, which is not the most effective if you want to know the truth. and Sunday night surprise surprise Hna Estrada had changes, Hna Salazar stayed with me, and Hna Sierra had changes and Hna Montalvan is training.
Monday we went to the office after lunch( Pres asked me last mon if I could change my horario to accomodate the other responsabilities of the elders in the office on mondays so now it is 2 until I am done on mondays which is fine, it is a little less crazy in the pm and won't be eating fast food with the frequencia that I was before yeay for my arteries). The news came and I did their health interviews and all the things that I needed to do with them before we went back to the house. But fortunately we were in divisions so even though I didn't work, Hna Estrada and a member were working. Whoot!
Tuesday was the new people meeting, we left before noon, and got to work all the afternoon. Tuesday night Hna Woods came and Slept in the house, and she took a small collection of stuff for my family(I hope it makes it through customs) she's going to mail it to you.
Wednesdaywe worked all day and in the night two other ex companions came and slept in the house Hna Fuentes and Hna Bermudez before they left on thursday. Thursday we planned in the AM and in the PM we were supposed to have a thanksgiving multizona, but Hna Salazar and I had to take a misionary to the hospital for xrays, and we got back just in time to eat yay! we got back to our area and worked for an hour, and now it is P-day. Oh and midst all of this Wednesday night we sent an elder with severe abdominal and back pain to the hospital and he was passing a kidney stone. He was treated for that, and they did some exams to see if he had more, and yes he did, so he's coming back today to finish passing them in his house here in santa ana.

In my cleaning of the house I came across a great talk by President Benson-beware of pride(it was in spanish so it was called cuidaos del orgullo) wich was a great talk. I learned a lot, and as I shared what I was learning with my companion she also wanted to read it. It really helped me see that pride such a huge weakness, for everyone and I am definately not an exception.
Look it up it is from one of the conferences 1989 I don't remember which one.

Thats All I have time for.
Love ya
Hna Allen

Recuerdo del cumpleaños de la hermana Allen. F E L I C I D A D E S

My birthday in the house of our cocinera! (really it is tuesday but I got to celebrate my birthday almost all week)

Fwd...

cumpleaños feliz, hna. Allen. Que El Padre Celestial le bendiga siempre, reciba abrazos flores y muchas sonrisas de quienes le rodean, espero le gusten las fotos.

P day again!

Hola familia
I'm writing a little early today because... we're going to the temple!!!!
this week has gone by really fast. Let me think Friday after we wrote we went and made baliaras with Pres and Hna Cordon, then we had our ward mission activity which went well. sat was a pretty normal domingo as well, monday I went to the office and we changed my hours of office for mondays, so I'll get to work a little in the morning. wohoo! Tuesday we did intercambios in the morning, but in the pm we had to go to the office for an interview for one of my comps, and then we came back and worked some more. Wednesday (Hna Estrada and I) went to Ataco and Hna Salazar stayed and worked in the area with a member(divisions), we left about 8 in the mornign and got back at almost 6 at night. We took Hna Bonilla's things to her and Hna Estrada packed her stuff and we brought it back to our house, and went and worked for 2 hours. Thursday we planned as a district in the stake center, and after we planned we made tejadas(another food from Honduras, its what happens when you are the only non honduranian in your district.). Yummy! went back and worked, and today WOHOOO we're going to the temple.
We've got some great investigators, that I love so much, but they haven't come to church yet. They unfortunately have a busness on sunday they go to the concha(soccerfields) and sell things to the hungry and thirsty jugadores. We also are teaching the wife of a less active member, who unfortunately her greatest challenge is her husband. He doesn't want to come to church, and she doesn't want to come with out him. We also dropped one of our investigators, it is sad, but she had no desire to know if it is true, let alone come to church. :(
I hope that I get to send a package with Hna Woods when she goes home(Wed). She said she'd mail it to y'all from arizona. Lucky me I live in the house where she'll sleep the night before she leaves, and where she will rearrange her bags for the plane.
Changes are this next week. I don't have any idea what will happen. I do know that I won't be in trio for another change(4 hnas come, 3 go so we'll be back to even numbers with the Hnas). Whohoo. Trios are difficult to teach, to tract, to arrange everything, but at times very convenient because we only have to find 1 sister to be able to do divisions.
Love y'all tons
Hna Allen

Greetings (otra vez)

Hola familia!
This week has flown by. I had a great birthday. Went to church and the hermanas of the ward (who remembered or who were told that it was my birthday) congratulated me and gave me hugs, which was nice. Douglas was confirmed. which was great, and then in the afternoon we went and had a very yummy lunch with one of the sisters of the ward, all new food, but all very yummy. it still surprises me that I have been here for almost 8 months and still am eating new food every so often.(with amazing regularity to tell the truth). Then in the afternoon one of the niñas of the ward was baptised, and we helped with that, so I got to eat cake on my birthday, and then the night of my birthday with 4 honduranias in the same house they celebrated my birthday in typical honduranian fasion, they ambushed me and broke eggs over my head, and then poured eggs and flour over my head. So at 1030 at night I was showering to wash the egg and flour out of my hair. (picture included). Monday I was in the office, my two hondurania companions made baliaras(very very yummy) and I did a ton of health things to prepare for those coming week after next. We have been going to pt every day with hna estrada and the therapist says she thinks after tomorrow hna estrada doesn't need any more therapy just to take precautions. that means that (I hope) that next week will be normal. worked hard all week, today we went to pt with both of my comps, and then after we write we are going to the house of Pres and Hna Cordon to make baliaras for them(they were in belize on mon so they didn't get to try the baliaras in the office). Today we are also going to have a ward mission activity.
The honduranias joke that they will teach me how to dance punta and sing the honduranian national anthem. With all the honduranians that I've lived with its about time LOL. My district right now consists of me, and 6 honduranians. (2 elders, and 4 hnas.)
Thats all I have time for now, thank you all for all the birthday wishes, and for the updates on your lives,
Love y'all
Hna Allen

Happy birthday!

Pictures from this change

Halloween

1st cambios locos

Baptism of Douglas

Saludos

Hola familia, mando saludos de Santa Ana
This week has flown by and much has happened, sat was a normal day, I was finally able to go to work with all three of us and we had fun. Sunday was stake conference, and President gave a very good talk about how all the members are missionaries, and all should be working to get to know people who aren't members, and to share the gospel with all. After Stake conference we went back to the house, president called me and said that he wanted one of the Elders to go to the hospital, so I went to the hospital with one of my companions, and left the other with the other two missionaries in our ward with the hope that they could find a sister to divisions, and we stayed at the hospital all afternoon waiting for why he sisn't recover with the medications we had given him, and why he was getting worse, turns out he had amoebas and intestinal infection, and the antibiotics just weren't enough, so he got dehydrated and weak, but we started him on a different antibiotic and an antiparasite med, and he's getting better, he left the hospital early on Monday, and after he left the hospital Hna Bonilla and I headed to San Salvador for immigration(for her) we got back about 7pm and only had time for one lesson (FHE with some recent converts!) before we had to go and let a couple of sisters in our house, One of the sisters had an x-ray that said she had fractured her foot about 5 weeks ago now, she thought she had only sprained it because she could walk on it, but she was concerned because it was still swollen. She says it doesn't hurt at all now, but the Dr ordered physical therapy and that is here in santa ana, so Hna Bonilla went to Ataco with Hna Pappas and Hna Estrada is my new third wheel for then next week or so. So tuesday we started therapy with Hna Estrada and to the office to do the things that I needed to do there, and Hna Salazar was again in division with a future missionary. Wednesday we left Hna Estrada in the house with a member and we went out to work, but we had to go home early so the member could go home. Thursday Hna Salazar had to go to San Salvador for immigration and I was with the companion of another missionary for all day, and with Hna Estrada, We only got to work for a few hours because of the Physical Therapy and because we couldn't find anyone to stay with hna Estrada in the AM, but in the PM we went and taught a few lessons and then went and traded companions, and when we came back the member had to go back to her house but we did divisions for a little bit of time, and I stayed in with hna Estrada. Today we've gone to therapy, and pulled out money, and after we write we'll go back to the house and leave Hna Estrada with one of the members.
This week I think I have been being taught about sacrifice and to use my time more wisely. My desire to work and find and do all the things that are responsibilities of normal missionaries have been frustrated with all the crazyness of this week, and the little time we have had to work we've had to try to use even more efficiently than normal. Plans a-d for all times of day, and put things close together, things like that.
Thats all I have time for this week, but Love Y'all
Love Hna Allen

Saludos

Hola y'all
greetings from El Salvador.
Just got back from San Salvador again. (went yesterday for migration things as well) Hna Salazar had an apointment with a neurologist about her bells palsy. She is getting better. The process is slow, but is is happening. The Dr said she can work again. I am really excited for that, that we don't have to keep doing divisions with the ward, and finding a sister who can stay in the house with her. Also her PT wil change from every day, to 2-3 x a week. Yeay MWF and we'll be able to work the otherdays normal.
This week has flown by, and sadly I can't think of anything really interesting that happened this week other than our trip to migration(really just the police station in San Salvador) for immigration paperwork. But even that was pretty routine.
we're closing in on week 4, I have got to get on buying the parts for the emergency backpacks. President has been out of the mission this week, and luckily(knocking on wood here) nothing big has happened.
I'm trying to teach my companions english. I understand so well how they feel as they try to say a word, and it just doesn't come out the way that it should, and they can't hear the difference. I remember saying words(and still do say words) and people say the word back to me to correct me, and I say it again, and they still correct me, and I can't figure out why because I think I say it just like them, and they can't help me know why I am not saying it the same as them or how to correct it, just that is isn't right. But we are all stubborn and we'll get it.
This week I have been studying in Mosiah. I'm working my way through the book of mormon in spanish, and it has been a bit of a slow process. But I am reading about King Limhi, and how the lord helped them escape from captivity and guided them to live with King Mosiah. But before that I was struck by the part where he asks Ammon(not the one with the arms) about who could translate to they could learn about this people who were destroyed and why they were destroyed. What a wise man, to want to learn from the mistakes of others. That we may be so wise to learn from the mistakes and successes of others so that we don't have to suffer the same things they did. We have such abundance of sources to learn from. I have also been thinking(and teaching) about the way we use our time. Where are our priorities? The things that are most important to us are the things on which we spend the most time. One of my recent converts was telling me about a conversation he had with a coworker about the sabbath day. His coworker asked him why he gives up a day of fun or a day to earn more money every week, and Lisandro asked him how much time in a week does this coworker give to our heavenly father? He told him heavenly father has given us our lives, and only asks for us to give him one day a week. He said, I don't think that is to much to ask, that I dedicate one day a week to my heavenly father and serving others.
dani thanks for the letters. Did you know that the dear elder letters don't come one letter per page, but stretched over a whole bunch of pages so I recieved 7 letters, pasted into one long letter it was about as tall as me. Thanks it was great. And that talk was a great one too. I really enjoyed it.
Love yáll
Hna Allen

Hola de Santa Ana

Hola familia
THis letter I hope is a liitle longer because I won't have tantos personas talking to me. I realized that I didn't say much about what has happened the week of changes and this week even more things have happened. Last week ( ithink I told you that my companion Hna Sanchez had changes) and I was with hna Bermudez who is from El Salvador. She is a great misionary and will finish her mission this change. Friday was a crazy day, with problems with the computers among other things. Sat and sun passed a little more stressful than normal mostly because of the suspense about what was going on in our mission, the tues before changes it started to rain, and we didn-t see the sun again until this wednesday. Many areas here were flooded, and many people's houses melted with the rain(some of the houses are made of adobe, and with a lot of rain the dirt washes away and the walls disolve). Also alot of people build next to the rivers and canals and with a lot of rain the water leaves and floods the adobe houses and washes away everything they have. Here in my area it wasn-t to bad. We have mostly houses of cement and aluminum. and a few of adobe with plaster on the outside, its the adobe that have't been plastered that melt. Lunes was a long suspenseful day in the office, and I was infomed of multizone for thursday. All of the mission on the same day at different times. Tuesday I was informed that Hna Bermudez was having changes, and my new companeras are Hna Bonilla(from Columbia) and Hna Salazar(from Honduras) Hna Bonilla just got here to our mission, she had visa troubles and has been working in Columbia sul for 4 months. She is trained as far as missionary work, and it is great to learn from her as far as that goes. SHe just has to be oriented to our mission and the things we do differently. Hna Salazar is the Hna that has Bells Palsy, and she is gradually getting better. SHe is here in Santa Ana for PT and we are doing divisions almost everyday so she can go to PT. Also the Docs told her she can-t 'andar por ariba and abajo' which means she is resting for this last week and for this next week. She has some ability to move her face a little wich is great. So Tues in the PM Hna Bonilla came in from COlombia, and Wedesday in the AM Hna Bermudez and Hna Stegelmeir went to their area, and Hna Salazar went and packed all of her belongings and came back. Thursday was a very sad day, as we had our multizona and Presidente informed us that 8 missionaries returned home dishonorable released. We recieved a lecture on obedience and President put emphasis on a few rules for our protection. As well as told us that from now on we will only have 45 minutes on the computer on P-day.
But it made me think about the purpose of rules and commandments. It reminded me of the general conference talk where a cow gets into the wheat and bloats and dies because she was pushing the fence. That is what happened to these missionaries they were pushing the rules, seeing if they could just reach a little farther if they could maybe taste just a little bit of that wheat on the other side. and they succeeded in tasting it, but it had dire consequences. The commandments(and for us misioneros the mission rules) are like the fence. We as members who have these protections should see them as a huge deterent that we shouldn-t be anywhere near them. Don't push them, don't see how close you can get or how far to the other side you can reach. They are there for our protection, not for our restriction.
I need to write president still, but I love you all, if you've heard about the flooding here before I mentioned it, don't worry I am fine and the sun is shining and we are drying out.
Oh something funny We were talking the other day about how many companions and areas we've had and I realized that I have had 4 areas and 8 companions in my 7 months in the mission field. Chistoso. :)
Love y'all,
Hna Allen

Hola Y'all

Hola,
changes were this week. My changes were interesting. My companion went to chalchuapa. Which is weird because we were only together for one change. and I was training. But now my companion is Hna Bermudez. SHe is from here. THings that are weird that have happened this week, One on the things is that one of the hnaas has bells balsy, and an elder had a suspected dengue. But all is well, and all will recover. ALso Hna Montalvan is is my house now. She is in the other half of my ward.
I am of course growing and loving hte mision.
SOrry is it so short
Love ya
Hna ALlen

Saludos de Santa Ana

Hola familia!
This week has passed by rapidly, for the most part we have been healthy and working hard(I haven't been sick, don't worry, its is my comp) Monday I had a video conference with Dr Drake the area medical advisor, and assorted mission nurses from all of central america. It was very informative and helped me understand a few things that we need to do, and a few things that we need to stop doing.(or rather we get to stop doing) After that we had interviews with president, and he helped me see a few areas that we need to be working more efficiently. Tuesday the zone leaders had their monthly meeting with president and from what I understand the ax came down and the pressure was turned up, needless to say we've been asked to give more.
Conference was amazing of course. A little interesting for me, as I have come to realize I don't understand very well when I know they are speaking english, but I am hearing spanish. I got to listen to the last session in English(I finally found a sister to be in the room with all the north american elders.) and it was amazing. I am so excited for the Liahona for November.
Changes are this next week. It will be interesting to see what will happen.
I have been thinking about pressure this week. And I remembered a story about the potter and the clay. I'll butcher it, but it goes something like the potter applies pressure to the clay from the outside against the hand that is inside, and is able to form a beautiful vase. So if we feel as though the pressure is too much or that we will collapse under the pressure, maybe the problem isn't how much pressure is being applied, but rather how much of the potter's hand we have permitted inside our lives.
Love ya all
Love Hna Allen

Well, this has been an interesting week

Hola mi familia,
this week has flown by with a series of very interesing things. the week end was pretty normal, Diana got baptized and confirmed :D Monday we went to the office, which was an interesting day, it took me all morning to find a computer that would let me access missionary medical, and I had to see if someone had sent me a picture of their rare skin thing in my personal email, which also took me all morning to access. The mission is handing over the responsability to make sure that all the missionaries are legal to offices in San Salvador next to the temple, and the woman in charge of that was there to check on that, which was rather enlightening to see how many are here legally, but with out their documents to prove it.
Tuesday we got to work the whole day(which has turned out to be a rarity), but it turned out to be a late night, because one area of Hermanas came to sleep in our house because of problems in their house. Wednesday we had our second meeting of the news, and we had a pretty good day after that, Thursday we had our zone meeting, and planned for the next week, and then we did intercambios with the 2 companionships in our ward. I had sick missionaries calling me until about 11, and then we had some emotional (drama) to deal with in the house, and I got to sleep about 11:30, and was awakened at 2:45 when one of the missionaries called me because his companion was writhing in pain with clasic symptoms of apendicitis. So I called a whole bunch of people at a ridiculously early hour of the morning to get him to the hospital (only the assistants and president have a car in our mission, and president is in Belize again and Hna cordon can't drive because of a problem with her knees.) so we looked for a member who could bring them to San Salvador(about an hour in car from where they were) early in the morning, In the end the assistants went and brought them in , and I had to wait until 5:30 when the first bus passed through our area to get to another bus stop to get to san salvador. We came back after visiting him in the hospital. and now I get to write to you all. I hope that this next week is a little less crazy so we can focus more on the missionary work than the missionaries.
Mi tiempo se acabó.
Les quiero mucho
Hna Allen

Hola fam!

Hola familia! saludos de Modelo!

This week has flown by, and this day is flying by too, Today I am going to learn how to make atol which will be for an activity of the ward. We have to be there at 2 and we also have to go and get glasses for hna sanchez. Tomorrow we have a baptism of Diana Lora, we are so excited for that. I am amazed how much my spanish has gotten better solo because I live with 3 latinas. I am learning so much and I am loving the people and the mission.

Happy late birthday to Jake and Zac.

Yesterday was a holiday here, like the 4th of july, it was hard to find people in their houses because they went to the parade, and all the festivities. I still am not sure what they were celebrating exactly, but when I asked my latin comp and roomates they didn't really know why either.
This change so far has been very divertido. We smile and laugh a lot.

The rest of the Hnas are waiting for me to finish, and I am waiting for Elder Guirola to finish passing all the numbers from one phone to the other. The phone that I was using stopped reading my sim card, but it reads his, so we are switching, and he's putting the phone numbers that are important for the nurse in the other phone.

Love ya tons,
Hna Allen

Hola bien rapido

Hola y'all, this week has been a crazy one. With a lot of nursing and not much missionary work, my poor entrainee, I just hope I can help her separate my responabilities as the nurse from the responsibilities of the normal missionary. This week we have to go and get an eye exam(for her) so she can 1 study with out getting headaches, and 2 work with out getting headaches.
We get along well, and we are working as well as we can with all the caos of the health of the missionaries.
of course I am enjoying the work, and am learning to depend even more on the lord.
We had a meeting with Elder Amado on wednesday, and I learned so much, and it made me want to be such a better missionary.
Here attached is a pic of me and Hna Sanchez. Yes she is taller than me(and in this pic she is slouching).
I have been studying about the restauracion so I can teach it better. I have learned more about the apostasy this last week, and about the dispensations. I love the pattern there, God calls a prophet to teach the people, sometimes they accept and sometimes they reject the message, and when they reject the prophet for a time there isn't a prophet, but He always calls another. I have also been Studying about the atonement. I love studing about the atonement. My testimony has strengthened so much through my studing and testifying about the atonement. Of all the miracles that Christ did here on the earth, the atonement is truly the most amazing. That we can all be healed from the casm that we have between us and our Heavenly Father. How great is the plan of the Lord.
Love Y'all, but my time is up.
Hna Allen

Pictures from the mission

Here's a collection of pictures Mem sent home.

This first is a couple of pinatas, the other Hna's bought them, that reminded me of my nieces.
This is my first companionship, Hna Clark & Hna Woods.
The next two are from our Hna activity.


Three of our baptisms. Claudia, Lisandro, and Jonathan.



Love, Mem

Saludos de Modelo(todo via)

Hola Familia!
We had changes this week and let me tell you, what a change. Hna Woods headed to another zone, to open a new area with a new missionary, and I am here in Modelo, wth the cellular that everyone calls when they get sick. Oh and my companion-also a new Hna. So I am Training for my first time, and I've got the full carga of the Mission health Specialist. I forsee great growth-at least on my part. So we've had an interesting week. We're teaching Diana Lara and I just love it, She accepts every commitment and Is gaining such a strong testimony of the church. We also found another family the other day, and I am so excited to go back and teach them again. We are really focusing on families, because the goal is the temple.
Quiero ver... Sunday night we found out about changes, monday we went to San Salvador to do some things for nursing(and visit a member in the hospital) and then we came back and we attended to the new Missioneries, and Hna Woods packed, then Tuesday we had our new people meeting and Hna Woods went to her new are with her new comp and I came back to mine with my new comp, and we started working. And thats what we´ve been doing everyday since. I really do love the mission. Hna Cordon always says the mission is like a pressure cooker. That we learn so much, and grow so much, faster than others who don't have this experience.
Love ya'll
Hna Allen

saludas de El Salvador

Hola amado familia!
Things have been going well this week, we had a few miracles(I love miracles) happen this week. First we had one investigator, who when we met him told us he would never be baptised, tell us that he will be baptised in December. HUGE step for him, he had told us that when his daughter comes in December he'll be baptized, but he told us that whether or not she comes, he'll get baptized, he also promised he'd come to church the first sunday that his son is out of the hospital and back in the house(their son had a brain tumor that was operated on about a month ago)-.another huge miracle for him. We have seen him progress so much while we've been working with him.
Our other major miracle of the week came when we dropped by the church on mututal night to talk to the bishop really fast. He told us that one day he had been in his mom's house (which is infront of the church) when this young woman with a baby in her arms come over and said that someone from the church(the bishop of the other ward) had told her to talk to our bishop. SHe asked bishop if he could baptise her baby. He told her that we don't baptize babies in our church, we give them blessings, but that if she would like, we could baptize her, she said she'd like to be baptized, and bishop took down her name and address and when we came by he gave them to us. Her name is Diana, and she said she had gone to church with a friend 5 years ago, and they had given her a Gospel principles book that she had been reading as well as they had taught her how to pray, and that she had been praying since then. SHe said that she had been praying about Joseph Smith and she believed that he was a prophet... she is so amazing. She has been through so much in the last 5 years, and we are jsut so thrilled that we get to help her find the path to happiness. We're planning on the 17th of september for her baptism, and we're so excited about it.
Changes are this week. I am pretty sure I am staying, but we'll see on sunday night.
The El Salvador Temple opened to the public on tuesday the 23 and president said that one of these p-days we'll get to go to the temple. I am excited about that.
I read an article in a liahona about our refined heavenly home, and about learning to be more refined here will help us feel more at home there. It made me think about how our homes are supposed to be a little bit of peace and calm in the sea of caos of the world, but that so often(too often) we let the busy pace of the world flow right on into our homes, and we don't have a place of peace and calm.But how important it is to make that effort to have our home be that bit of calm where we can go to relax and enjoy those we love.
I also was reading another article about finding our own place to go to think and ponder and pray-to meditate- it talked about finding our own sacred grove. That doesn't mean wandering out into the wilderness or anything, just means finding a place in our home where we can have time to really talk to our heavenly father. where we can open our hearts and pour out our concerns and problems and honestly talk to Him. I think sometimes we (I personally) are so used to the formula, heavenly father, we are grateful, we ask for, in the name of... that we forget to actually talk. To pour out our souls in prayer, so Our loving heavenly father can help us. I have been taking some time in my personal prayers to turn it into a conversation, not just hey here is a list of things i am grateful for, and hey i'd like these thiings, but really say so today we didn't have a good day, or today was such a great day, or i have this concern, or i feel so blessed. I think at times I have been guilty of not really letting my prayers get beyond the ceiling, because they didn't come from my heart. I have gained such a great testimony that when we sincerely pour our hearts out to him, when we take our problems and concerns to him, maybe he won't take them away(probably not) BUT he will take the weight of them, so we can continue.
The dedication was great and our meeting with President Eyring was wonderful, I learned so much and it helped me change my perspective a bit.
I love these people, and I love learning about the gospel. And I love helping others learn about the gospel as well.
Con mucho amor,
Hna Allen

Saludos de Santa Ana

Wow, well greetings y'all. This week was interesting. We finally found one of our investigators, Yuli, she and her family have part way moved to another area, but she still is visiting the house here in our area on occasion. She is great. Every time we teach her a principle, she immediately starts living it or at least trying to live it. She was living with her boyfriend here in our area, and when she read the Law of Chastity pamphlet, she had a talk with her boyfriend and told him she'd only come by durring the day and her and her kids moved back to their other house in the other area. Which complicates things, but He decided that he doesn't want to lose his family to alcohol and is starting to change, so I think they'll get married. We're going to teach them on Sat and I'm excited. Also another investigator has a baptismal date, and I feel good about this date. Next Sat(27). He's had 3 fechas fall, and his big problem is he really loves playing futbol on sundays.
Tomorrow we have our planiing in the am then we are going to San Salvador in the pm, so today we are doing all the normal pday things(except the office elders who only get to write and buy food today and the rest of the day is spent like all other thursdays-in the office. pobrecitos.)
I have been studying Arrepentimento y la expiacion. (repentance and the atonement) What a wonderful and amazing gift and example. Our perfect brother submitted himself to the Father's will in all things, his life, death, resurrection and of course that pattern continued afer his death(it talks about him having other commandments of the father that he had to do when he is talking to the Nephites about why he has to go.) And just as he did all that, we need to be willing to submit to the father's will in all things as well. En verdad we need to have our will be to do the will of our Heavenly Father. I love to think about that he knows me, and his plan for my life(and all of our lives) is so much greater than that plan that I could immagine. And If I am willing to put my life in his hands by choosing to dedicate my time, decisions and efforts to things that bring me closer to him, and to doing his will(by following the spirit which will be with us if we are making decisions and putting in the effort to live a life with the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit) he will lift me up to my highest potential. I can do great things in the kingdom of God. I can be a great instrument in his hands.
I am really excited for tomorrow. It is like I get another general conference this year!( in addition to the other normal 2)
I am so glad for the opportunity to be serving a mission right now, it is so wonderful to be able to dedicate all of my time, thoughts and efforts to the lord. I love you all, and I love hearing how things are going at home, I hope all are happy and healthy.
Love
Hna Allen

Mensajito de El Salvador

Buenas dias familia!!!
This week has not had the luxury of flying. We´ve been having difficulties helping our investigators keep their commitments and two of our families that we were teaching dropped us, which is better than the eternal sneak and peak. But we have had some great lessons with our investigators, and I think they have come to understand why we keep teaching them about the book of mormon, and asking them to read it, and pray about it. I have been studying about faith, which has been very enlightening for me, I have really come to understand better how powerful faith is. I mean I have always known the scripture that says if we had the faith of a mustard seed we´d be able to move mountains, and all the scriptures that say, when we have faith, nothing is impossible. But really I have come to understand better that faith leads us to action. I have the faith that this message can change lifes. I know it can. Hna Woods says its the power of positive thinking, but I have come to believe that positive thinking is faith. Faith that everything will work out in the end. The gospel is so amazing. The gospel really is a great problem fixer, or rather a personal strengthener, even if the problem doesn't go away, the gospel gives us the perspective and strength to fix it.
But that is enough of the past week, our next week looks really great! THe greatest thing is that next friday we (the two missions in El Salvdor) will have a meeting with the general athorities that will be here for the dedication. President Eyring and Elder Christofferson. AND I get to be in the choir that will do a special music number :D and then on Sunday (21) will be the dedication and we get to go to all three sessions. XD I am not sure if we´ll have P-day on Friday next week or not, because if we do we won't be able to work at all, with having to be in San Salvador by 4pm. (pday usually ends for us at 5pm and it takes about an hour to San Salvador). I am so excited for the Dedication! and the choir! We´ll practice on monday, which works out great because I am already in the office, which is in the Stake Center where we have the choir practice(it is pretty central to the El Salvador part of our mission).
It has been really hot and the people all say it is abnormal, especially because it is what they call winter(that just means it is supposed to rain everyday and it hasn't). Nothing compared to you Sister Walker, I´m sure.
Nothing really exciting has happened with the health side, an Elder has a pretty bad sprained ankle, but he'll get better.
We learned a fun new game today in our Zone meeting, Pobricito mi gatito(my poor little cat) every one in a circle an one person in middle as cat, on all fours, and goes up one of the people in the circle and meows, and the person has to say pobricito mi gatito with out smiling, and if you smile you are the cat. It it was a fun game to play, especially because every one is laughing so hard.

Yo espero que todos tiene salud, y que les vayan bien
con amor
Hna Allen

Well...

Hola Familia!
Another week has flown by here in modelo. We've found more people to teach, and we're excited about that, though this past week was a little rough as far as finding new investigators. We're working hard and I'm loving the work. My spanish is of course a work in progress, and I imagine that it will be for all of my life. So good news, on the 19th the 2 missions will have a special meeting with the General authorities that will be coming for the dedication, Elder Eyring and Elder Christofferson. I am really excited for that, also We have permision(and almost orders) to go to all three sessions of the temple dedication on the following sunday, and I am also super excited for that.
SO adventures for this week, on sunday we had a baptism, which was complicated by 2 things that amazingly had nothing to do with Lisandro (the one getting baptised) First, one of the Hermanas dislocated her shoulder puttingon her backpack, she had dislocated it before and hadn't let it heal well, so we had her coming in to the hospital in Santa Ana, where President Cordon was going to meet her, and then it was pouring down rain, which you'd think wouldn't mean anything to a place that always has rain, but for some reason when it rains, no one comes to events, or wants to leave their houses(we wanted to do divisions and I could go to the hospital and Hna Woods could stay at the baptism, but we couldn't find anyone who was willing to leave their house in the rain, which was why president met her at the hospital). We almost couldn't have the baptism because we didn't have the priesthood present to be able to perform the ordinance. Then as we were finally getting ready to start the baptism, President Cordon Called, and said that the hospital in Santa Ana didn't feel confident to put the shoulder back in place so we had to take her to Santa Ana, Luckily we finished the baptism, and we just getting ready to have refreshments when President Cordon came to get us and we headed to San Salvador to the hospital, but the rain had caused an accident on the highway so what would have been a 45 min trip to San Salvador turned out to be a 2 hour trip to san salvador, we got to the hospital, they put the shoulder in, and we brought her back to our house for the night, then she went back to her area the next morning.
Other than that it hasn't been to bad, a few people with amoebas, a person with an ear infection that didn't belive me when I said that antibiotics take more that 12 hours before you can notice that they are working... things like that.
I have been studying about how important it is that we as missionaries invite people to do things. Everytime we invite someone to do something(will you come to church? will you read the book of mormon? will you pray?) we are asking them to change, to sacrifice something they would have done for this better thing, and that really is the basic principle of repentance, a change of a habit or action for a better(holier) habit or action. Also when we invite people to do something we invite them to gain their own testimony. It is when we are being obedient to a principle that we recieve testimony that it is true. Like it says in Malachi about tithing, prove me herewhith that I will open up the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon you, or something like that, sorry I have only read it in spanish for quite a while. But the key is Prove me herewith. He invites us to keep the commandment of tithing and promises that when we do we will recieve blessings, but not until after we do it.
I love the gospel. I love that it can be so simple, that even a small child can do it, but that there is so much to learn that one could study it for an entire lifetime and still not have learned it all.
We planned for week four yesterday. Crazy I feel like we just started this change, and already we are almost half way through it. I have enjoyed having Hna Woods as my companion, and I just hope that I can learn how to be as great of a missionary and nurse as she is while I'm with her. I feel like I still have so much to learn about everything, and every day I just find more things I just don't know. But I have learned so much up to this point.
I love being a missionary. In our multizona last week one of the Elders that is going home this change said, you just have to learn to love the work, and if you love looking for people and serving people, and teaching the gospel, and you really love the work, even if you have days when you knock every door in a neighborhood and get nothing but rejection, you'll still be having a good day, because you are doing what you love to do. He said that the attitude we have makes a huge difference in the experience you have. The time passes whether you are miserable or just loving every minute. Love it.
Thats all I have time for now.
I love you all so much,
Love Hna Allen

Friday already?

Hola family!
Wow this week really did fly by fast, we had a multizona with president and I came away with a list of things that I need to do and habits I need to form to be a better missionary, as well as a few clarifications of the rules. One of which has to do with only 1 hour on the computer every week, so my letters will be shorter. We had a good week, we have a golden investigator, who is going to get baptized this sunday, we are really excited for him. although he has been looking for another house and he might wind up living outside of our ward boundaries shortly after he gets baptized. We have been looking for the references from the temple, and have been wandering the streets usually durring the hottest time of the day, which isn't the funnest, but it could definately be worse, since the hottest time of day is probably only in the mid 90s. The water for all of Santa Ana went out very early in the morning on thursday, so we are without water for the second day in a row. Sadly we didn't have our pila full, but there is a little faucet in our house that has a little trickle of water that will come out of it, so we've been catching that and we used that to bathe in and to wash our hands, but there is not enough water to flush the toilets, so thats getting a little gross. Also the dishes are starting to pile up. We are hoping that the water comes back tonight or tomorrow so we can wash our dishes, and take real showers, and flush the toilets, and so everyone who doesn't buy purified water can have water to drink. They had water trucks that came around and people came running with anything that could carry water to be able to bring it back to their houses. There were some people that were carrying water at least a quarter of a mile last night one five gallon bucket at a time. Really you don't appreciate what you have until its gone.
Mom, thanks for the recipe for snickerdoodles, the only thing I haven't been able to find is Cream of Tartar (people don't bake much here) so I don't know if there is some way I could make it, or if there is a substitute for it... :D
In my personal study I have been studying about the blessings that correlate with keeping the commandments, because blessings come from obedience to the laws upon which they are predicated. As I have started from the top of the list of commandments we teach from lesson 4 in chapter 3 of preach my gospel.(first is obedience, then pray always then study the scriptures etc) I have really been impressed by the simplicity of those things that if we do we will be so much stronger and be able to return to live with Heavely Father. I have realized that so often we are like the Israelites in the old testament, who when they were afflicted with fiery serpents, all they had to do was look at the brass serpent and they would be healed, but like Alma says to many died because they would not look. Such a simple thing could have saved them, yet they would not do it. Today we are all surrounded by fiery serpents of the adversary. They come in many forms, however the remedy for them is no less simple, even the primary children know the answers. Have family home evening, personal and family prayer, read the scriptures as a family and personally (in spanish it forms an accronym NOE noche de hogar, oracion, y estudio de las escrituras). when we do these things we too can be protected from the fiery serpents of the adversary.
How often we try to make life so much more complicated than it needs to be. I remember an object lesson I saw once, where the goal is to put a certain amount of sugar and a few big objects like eggs in a jar. If you start with the sugar, there is no room for the eggs, but if you start with the eggs the sugar flows around and fills in the spaces between the eggs. These basics are the eggs, the most important things, and everything else is the sugar, and when we put everything else first of course we can't find time to read our scriptures, pray and have FHE, but if we put them first, everything else that fills our lives will learn to flow around those things that are really basic fundamentals for our spiritual well being.
I Love you all, and I love to hear from you.
Love Hna Allen

Another week bites the dust...

Wow this week has flown by! Hna Woods and I are still together, and still in modelo, my first time to have 2 changes in the same place. Monday we spent almost all day in the office, and in our house getting it ready for the new missionaries. The ones from guatemala came in in bus and were her about 4 so we did their health interviews and settled them into the house, and Hna Woods and I went and worked for an hour(better than not at all), and taught a family about fasting, their son was going to have surgery the next day and they were going to fast for it. The missioneries from Provo(the Hnas already speak spanish and so only had 3 weeks in the MTC) came at about 10, and after we did their interviews and got them settled, we helped Hna Capra back to leave for Belice the next morning. To come on plane from guatemala you can have 2 bags that weigh 50lbs, but to go to belice it is 2 bags that weigh 35 lbs, so she was trying to figure out what she could leave behind. An interesting challenge. She wound up leaving an assortment of clothes and her shampoos, and lotions, and a few other toiletries. Tuesday we had the new people meeting, it was a very different format, go figure different president, but it was good and we learned a lot, and then We had a baptism! Claudia finally got baptised, yeay! I am so excited for her, she is so powerful and I know that the gospel really will change her life. Wednesday we got to work for all of the morning, but we had to go back to the house to wait for the Office elders to bring the suitcases of the Hnas that were leaving, and we waited for a while, they were delayed by a huge rainstorm that we were so thrilled to have been inside when it hit, the other Hnas in modelo didn't have such luck, and they didn't have their umbrellas either. But the Elders finally brought the suitcases, and we visited a menos activo that said she is coming back to church on sunday even if it means she loses her weekend job. :D
Thursday we had our district meeting and we taught a few really positive investigators and we planned a wedding for this saturday for one of the investigators and a menos activo. :) He has a fecha for next Sat. :)
And now we are to Friday once again.
Anyway, things are going well her in modelo, and the nursing part has been relatively quiet, only the new missionaries that came from Provo are sick, which is just the shock of the food and culture being so different, they'll be better in a few days. I think that is another reason why the CCM is such a good thing, because it gives us the opportunity to be sick when we are close to the bathroom all day.
This week I've been studying about how important it is to understand who we are. We are children of Heavenly Father, and when we can understand our divine heritage, we can understand that we are capable of so much, and also that there is nothing and no one but our selves that can keep us from Heavenly father. It is a great truth, and when we truly understand it we want to do our best and be our best everyday. We realize that nothing is impossible. Our vision of our self worth is infinately increased when we understand our divine potential.
So this week is the last week of The temple open house, and today is our ward's last bus trip but we don't have any investigators to bring this time so we're not going this time. We have gone 2 times and loved every minute, but is takes a lot of working time to go to San Salvador, go through the temple and then come back. Most of an afternoon, and since we really have so little working time to begin with, it really is important to use it in the most effective way, which unfortunately is not going to the temple open house.
BUT there is a chance that we'll get to be a part of the cultural celebration... small, but possible, AND President Cordon said that after the temple opens we'll get to go about once every 3 months(it will be a rotation through the zones, one per pday) on our pday. :D that is exciting. It is also really exciting that we can teach our recent converts that they can go and do baptisms for the dead. In the CCM we learned that the retention rate goes from in the 30% to in the 90% range when recent converts go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead right after their baptism. That is HUGE.
I am learning so much and I love these people so much, and it is such a great opportunity that I have to be here serving them.
Con Amor,
Hna Allen

Hola fam!

SO this week has flown by again. We unfortunately didn't have much time to work this week, with meetings and temple and a few things the ward mission leader wants us to try, they are good, but unfortunately take time, which is such a rare and precious commodity. We have 2 baptism dates before the end of the month, one is a 16 year old, Claudia, she wants to get baptized, but we haven't gotten permission from her parents. SHe actually lives in the area of our zone leaders, but she comes to church with her boyfriend and his family in our ward, so we're teaching her, and the Zone leaders went to her house and taught her mom, which apparently was an interesting experience, she had a lot of questions and then the dad came home drunk and mad, but they have an apt to go back tonight and talk to them again. THe plan is tomorrow for the baptism, and we are praying that her mom will give her permission. Our other baptism date is for next saterday. He is the boyfriend of one of our menos activos, they are going to get married next sat, and then he'll get baptized. with these 2 and the 3 from the other Hnas in our ward, we're on track to meet the goal for the ward. We also have another investigator that we're working with that says he'll get baptized in December(which for him is a huge step) he still hasn't come to church, but he has been talking to the missionaries off and on for most of his married life and all of his family are members, he just hasn't had the desire to be baptized. His daughter and her husband are supposed to come in December and stay for a few weeks and he wants his son in law to baptize him. The family has been having a rough time, one of their sons has a brain tumor, and a few weeks ago the tumor got big enough that he can't walk, before that he couldn't talk. He's going to have surgery on tuesday. We are praying and fasting for him.
We have found a family that went to the temple open house, (our menos activo and her boyfriend brought them) One of the members was supposed to pass to bring them to church, but she had an early meeting and forgot, so they were ready to come, but no one came to bring them. We're having a noche de Hermanamiento tonight, and they said they'd come. :) we'll call and remind them this afternoon while we are waiting for pres and hna Cordon to come and inspect our house.
I continue to find things interesting and funny to me here. Yesterday I was looking at our toilet paper, and I discovered about every 5 squares is a dog with a stop sign that says ¡parè!(stop!) whichis funny because 1 we have used 5 rolls of this TP before I dioscovered this disign, or realized what it is, and 2 none of the stop signs here say that. they all say alto(and all that I saw in guatemala as well). Another funny thing is the other night I discovered that there are frogs that make the sound that the guns for laser tag make. We were trying to figure out what that noise was, (it was dark, and all we could see was a little bit of land and then a wall) so we asked one of the youth, and she said it was a frog. If 1 I hadn't been in a very poor area of central america, and 2 if the sounds were a little closer together I could have believed that some one was playing laser tag on the other side of that wall. It was interesting, and funny to me.
THis week I have been studying about sacrifice(it is what I am teaching tonight in our noche de hermanamiento) and I have been thinking about how we have to be ready to give everything to heavenly father, and sometimes he asks for everything, but more often than not he only asks for a little. But so many people say yes I love Christ and I would do anything for him, oh, but I can't not work on sundays, or I won't be able to eat, oh and paying tithing is just to much to ask, I don't have enough as it is. I can't not play soccer on sundays, and not watching the game on sundays, that I just can't do. He asks us to be obedient, and sometimes(almost always) that requires that we sacrifice something to be obedient. Sometimes it is inconvenient, or hard, or it may even seem impossible, but for the lord nothing is impossible, and if he asks us to do it, he will provide a way that everything will work out in the end. We just have to take the first step. Like the story in Matthew 14 22-33, we have to have the faith and trust to step out of the boat, and then we have to keep out eyes on Christ and not allow the storm or the negative voices or difficulties to pull our eyes from Christ, and we will be able to do the impossible, like walk on the water.
So our job is to be willing to give everything we have, our time, our decisions, our worldy possesions if we have any, to be obedient to the commandments. Sometimes it will require everything, but if we aren't willing to give the little that he has asked of us, how would we ever be willing to give everything.
I have found that the world is pretty black and white. We are obedient or we aren't. A splash of cofee in your chocolate is still coffee. And while we can say that for some reason or another that rule doesn't apply to me, I am the exception, the reality is that the rules and commandments are for everyone. And that 'I am the exeption' is just an excuse to be disobedient. Our agency is a great gift that we have to choose which teacher we will follow, and let's face it if we aren't following christ and being obedient to the commandments, and counsel of our prophet, apostles, and other leaders who have been given the resonsibility to be representatives of Jesus Christ in his kingdom here on earth, we are really choosing to follow the other teacher(Matt 12:30). A quick analysis of the motives and purposes of each of these teachers helps us know who we really want to follow.
option white: Jesus Christ and Heavenly father; Purpose: to help us obtain eternal life, and to help us be able to live in their pressence again.(Moses 1:39 for behold this is mywork and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man) Motive: Love.
OR option black: Lucifer, purpose: to make us miserable like him(2 Ne 2:27), motive: Hatred.
Which teacher would you prefer to follow?
Ok I think thats really all I have time for,
Love you all, Love Hna Allen

¡Hola familia!

SO this week has flown by, it is amazing how fast this change has gone, monday will start week 6. We'll have a baptism tomorrow :D Claudia, she's 16 and she is the girlfriend of one of our members, she has gone to the temple open house 2 times and after she gets baptized she can volunteer with the other youth to put on the booties at the door, she is so excited for that. She is great, she told us the other day that she was late for school because she was reading the book of mormon. :D We are really excited for our first baptism in Modelo 2.

We are still looking for other promising investigators, we have been teaching, and most of the time they are willing to let is keep teaching them, but they don't have any desire to change, and repentance and accepting the restored gospel in your life is really a change. We've had a pretty good week, but a rough one as far as time to work, mon we went to the office, and then I went on divisions with Hna Montalvan and Hna Woods stayed in the house with our post op Hna(Hna Montalvan's comp) and then tues we actually got to work all day, and we taught 9 lessons.(that is a lot for us in a day) Wednesday we had District meeting, then we worked for a few hours and then we went to the temple open house, which was great, it is such a wonderful blessing to have a temple here in El Salvador. THe office elders are really busy sorting through the references from the temple, as well as all the other things that they have to do.

Anyway we got back from the temple at about 1030, and went to bed, and then thursday we had our weekly planning and our interviews with president. And then we got to work for a few hours afterward. TOday is P day and we finally got to clean the house :D and we get to buy more food. Also we have a few other things we want to look for, and we decided yesterday we are going to eat PIZZA! (you can't imagine how excited we are to eat Pizza)

I love the days that we get to work in the area all day, and I love being a missionary. I am glad that our days aren't all the same, I really do like changes, and the healthcare thing has been changes. THe missionaries are pretty healthy right now, a few colds, and some bad food, but nothing really severe this week. My phone has been pretty quiet, which is nice because we didn't really have very much time to work on anything healthcare in the AMs this week.

I am loving learning so much about the gospel. The mission really has helped me see that there really is not grey, either we are putting God first in our lives, and being exactly obedient to all the commandments, or He isn´t really our first priority. And when we say things like, I don't have time to go to church or read my scriptures, we are really saying, I don't have time to dedicate to God. We are showing our lack of faith that he is all powerful, and we are failing our test here on the earth. 'And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them` Abr 3:25.

I love the quote from last conference by Elder Christofferson, he said, 'True success in this life comes in consecrating our lives—that is, our time and choices—to God’s purposes. In so doing, we permit Him to raise us to our highest destiny.' That is what we are all to do, to be obedient we have to choose to use our time in this life to what he wants us to do. And there we will have success.

SOmeone sent Hna woods a poem By Longfellow, that is really great,

TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!—
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,—act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

I liked it a lot.
My time is up, Love y'all,
Hna Allen

Hola familia!

This will be short as I don't have much time, we recieved a call from an hermana this morning who was having severe abdominal pain, we did our telephone assessment, and consulted the AMA and we wound up heading to San Salvador to the hospital and turns out she had appendicitis and needed an appy, so we just got back from San Salvador and have a few minutes to write. Things are going well, president Cordon is very nice, and he has a great vision for the mission. We've found a few families that are promising, and we're already seeing miracles from those few VIPs who were able to go the the open house before the official starting day(today). We're hoping to bring a family to the open house on next wednesday.
We still have to go shopping and get food for the week, and we have a cita with an investigator at 530 and supposably correlation at 5(we'll see he's always late) so sorry about how short this was. Hopefully next week will be an almost normal pday.
Love ya'll
Hna Allen

Surprise!

SURPRISE! I am writing on thursday this week! Tomorrow we have our last multizona with Presidente Lopez. So today is our p-day. This week has flown by, I feel like I only wrote yesterday. Again this week has been filled with Health care phone calls. I seem to be on a run of Dentistry. It could be worse, it could be a run of apendicitis. But I am going to put the 6th appointment for one of our missionaries to see the dentist( so far, we've had crowns that need replaced, several severe tooth pains, and a few crumbling fillings) It is good that I am friends with the dentist. :D

We work hard every day, and I love the people here in Modelo. They have such a great love for the missionaries and the obra misionàl. We are working on getting references and we have recieved quite a few, but so far nothing really really positive, we're still opening up our little area, though we did find an area that we both thought, we should knock doors here. It is to bad that our week has been filled with citas, because we haven't been able to do it.
The language still is difficult at times, but more than not I manage to communicate my thoughts, and feelings in spanish. I am working on being patient with myself, I want everyone to understand me, but I understand that it is a process that takes time, they'll understand me, but I have to work on my language study and my pronounciation every day. I miss a latin comp a bit, it really helps you to expand you vocab if you can't just say the word in English.
This next week promises to be even more busy than this week, we have our day in the office monday, finally, because we really need to organize the nursing things before president Cordon gets here, then tuesday will be the 2nd meeting with the new people, and then wed our district meeting and then Thursday will be our first meeting with president Cordon. then friday will be p-day. Yup it promises to fly by I can already tell.

Hey so we've had this idea to do FHEs with our investigators and Menos activos and cook 'comida typica' (typical food) from the states(you know two gringas together it doesn't make sense to make baliaras (a honduranian food)...) but we've realized that we cook with recipes in the states. We can't do anything that requires a whole lot of time, and most people don't have an oven, only a stove top, but I'd apreciate any ideas about what we can make, and with those ideas, if you could send me the recipe too :D thanks
Mom these are the ideas I've had, Navajo tacos, and if they have an oven buiscuits or brownies, and we have an oven in our office AND in our chapel where we meet weekly and we'd love to make cookies so if you could send me recipes for these things (chocolate chips and peanut butter are dificult to find here, but I think I've seen most other things) I'd love it. I'm so excited to try this.
SO we have so much to do, but I am so excited to know that I have another niece :) and if you can I'd love to see some pics.
Love ya
Hermana Allen

Greetings from Modelo

Sooo, I had changes last wednesday and I was in colon with Hna Hernandez for 3 days, then on friday night one of the APs called me and told me that I was having emergency changes and that I was going to modelo, modelo to be with Hna Woods as the other nurse. Early sat am they picked me up and dropped off Hna wood's comp but because they are the office zona modelo has their pday on fridays, so I am back to pdays on friday. SURPRISE!!
It was great to read about the birthday party for mom, and all that is going on at home.
We`re opening up a new area here, Modelo 2. And all of our investigators are people we've found or people that are references, Modelo 1 kept all of their investigadores even the ones that live in our area(modelo is the ward, and we have 2 sets of missionaries in the ward), but we're working with the bishop and the ward members to get references, and we're also going through the old investigator sheets from the area book to visit them, also we're working a lot with menos activos.
We live in a really big house(especially for only 4 people) it has 5 bathrooms and 4 sleeping quarters one of which(bedroom and bathroom) is separated from the rest of the main house and is above the second garage. I asked why we have such a huge house, and aparently there are a few good reasons, 1 it is in a safe area for us to be coming back in at night, 2 it isn't any more expensive than other smaller houses, and 3 we get to be the storage for all the things that were in the old office, but they don't have a place for in the new office.
But the house is still huge.
THis past week has been interesting, I got a phone on monday, so that the missionaries in my area can reach me, then we had a training meeting on tuesday, where president anounced that Hna woods would be over the Santa Ana zones( there are 5 of them) then on wednesday we went to Sonsacate to the other part of the areas(my 4 zones) and anounced to them as well that they need to call me with their health issues, then we went to San Salvador, and got things so Hna Woods can take out ingrown toenails, and we looked for an otoscope, that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. Then, even though we went to San Salvador, we got to work hard for 2 hours in our area, thursday we had our district meeting, and then we got to work in our area again, and now it is friday, yeay Pday!
Well thats been my adventure from the last week and a half, Love y´all and its great to hear what is happening in everybody's lives.
Love ya
Hna Allen

Nueva Dirección

OK the office officially moved, and here is the new address for all (snail) mail. :)

Aquí está la nueva dirección de la misión. Por favor, mándenlo a sus familias.



Misión El Salvador Santa Ana/Belice
Edificio de la Iglesia de Jesucristo SUD
Carretera a Candelaria de la Frontera y Autopista a
San Salvador, Frente a Col. Mendez, Ctn. Portezuelo
Apartado Postal #142
Santa Ana, El Salvador, C.A.

Changes this wednesday!

Hola familia!
Things in the mission are hopping, we had a baptisms on Sunday before church and then he got confirmed in sacrament meeting. :) We have a baptism and wedding tomorrow. Then on wednesday we have changes, we`re closing out candelaria and there`ll be Elders there again. They want to send Elders to Pajonal, and the houses are to close together to have Elders and Hermanas in the same ward. (they are right next to each other behind the same wall.) SO Candelaria will be opened up again(in the states I think they call it White washing, but here they call it closing and opening an area.) by Elders, I'm told it will be Elder Perez and Elder Fox. Elder Perez was my District leader in Las Palmeras. He'll be awesome in Candelaria.
So I'm being sent to Barrio Colon (its part of Santa Ana) and My future comp will be Hna Hernandez. I'm excited to have the opportunity to work with her. She has interesting luck, however so this next change could be quite the adventure. Last change she was in 3 areas. The first they transfered her out of the thursday after changes. (her comp is a green gringa and she said she didn't know why) then they were in another area, and had emergency transfers after a rather interesting experience involving an angry man and a rock, and now she's in Colon. she has a year in the mission and has been in like 15 areas. (thats a lot if you do the math 6 weeks per change).
We had un hombre come to church yesterday who had recieved the lessons from Hna Clark, and is really positive, I didn't get the chance to talk with him much other than to arrange to call him tuesday to find out what day he'll be home so we can teach him. I hope the Elders can find his house(I didn't understand the directions he gave, and aparently neither did Hna Fuentes). Obispo was talking to him after the meetings and said 'you've got another investigador with a date' when I walked up to talk to them.
We had a meeting about the Temple! The Open house for the El Salvador Temple is July 1 through July 23 and Paraiso stake will be going to the open house every friday and tuesday AND the missionaries get to go too!!!(a big deal because the temple won't be in our mission in July). They`ll have 2 buses for every ward, and they hope to have them filled. : )
Mom don't worry about sending me OFF or DEET I have both, and the mosquitos still eat me.
I hope you have a happy birthday and Happy Birthday to all you June Birthdays :)
I need to go, love ya,
Hna Memorie Allen

Week 6-candelaria

Hola familia,
Por fin(kind of like finally) the birth certificate for our investigator arrive so they'll be able to get married on the 7th of june :). We were hoping for the 31st of this month, but He has something wrong with his kidneys and has a doctors appointment for that day(from what I understand it is recurrent kidney stones but I'm not really sure if I understood right) BUT other good news his future wife was finally able to come to church for all of church so that is one attendance and she came again yesterday after she got off work(which means she came for Relief Society), and she'll be able to be baptized with him. :D Also we have another young woman, who wants to be baptized and she has permisson from her mom, but she wants the support of her dad. She's going to visit him this weekend so we're hopeful that she'll be baptized the same day as our other two on the 7th. BUT to complicate matters, our chapel is going to be expanded and yesterday was the last meeting we had in the chapel, this next sunday we'll be meeting in a really big house. But we won't have a baptismal font, so for our baptisms we'll have to use the font in Paraíso (about 45 min from candelaria) but they are alright with that. We have another investigator who is positive, but he only has one time coming to church I'm hopeful that he'll be baptized too.
We spent (a lot of time) yesterday talking to the wife of the bishop and to the relief society president to help us figure out how we can strengthen the ward here. We have come to the conclusion that the ward lacks love one for another, but I'm not sure how to help them learn to love one another. Any ideas? all we can think of is being examples.

It is hard to believe that we only have one more week left for this change, Next monday I'll know where will be my next 6 weeks and who my companion will be. The other area further up in the mountains (Pajonal) will be opened up this next change is what we've been told, so there'll be 2 companionships living on the property.
The rainy season has started. so far It rains a little off and on in the afternoon and then about 8pm it starts to pour and it pours until after we go to bed. The crops are growing, and they are planting other things here(old style, with a stick and a bag of seed) I am honestly not sure what they grow. But the cows and horses are starting to look more healthy now that there is plenty of grass in their fields. It is humid, which means it takes my clothes 2 days to dry. and even then they always feel a little damp. Also there are some really big bugs that apparently accompany the rainy season(ugly critters) and flys...

I found a store that sells bug spray(OFF). It is a good thing that we get reimbursed for it or I couldn't afford it. Its almost 6 bucks for a can about as tall as my hand. It lasts about 2 weeks. I still get bit, but not as bad as the first week when I was using a different type of spray. And I'm using the dryersheets that Hna Strong left me. I think they help. My legs are healing and I don't see to many new bites ;)
I think thats about it, I love you all,
Love Hermana Allen