Baking in San Miguel

Time in San Miguel: 3 months
There’s something special about San Miguel. Hna Ortega said it reminded her of her home. It reminded me of Apopa. We found many prepared people. All San Migueleños in general were kind and welcoming, even when they weren't interested in hearing us. I loved it there. I even liked the heat (it was the hottest area for sister missionaries in the whole mission).
Companions: Hna Fuentes (1½ months), Hna Ortega (1½ months)

A few stories...

Meeting Joving, and the "Share the Gift" temple activity

"(Last night,) as we walked toward El Tesoro via Colonia San Pablo, I was feeling bad because we had had almost no street contacts still. I saw a young man a little ways in front of us and determined to speak with him.

"This decision was inspired, because the man- his name is Joving (pronounced JO-bing)- es super great. We talked and walked with him for only about five minutes, and in those five minutes he committed to go to the temple with us today.

"Fast-forward to today in the early morning- exactly 5:45 am. Joving arrived by himself at the taxi stop and accompanied us to the temple! He was very interested in everything and asked me before the activity started things like, 'Why can't I enter the temple?' During the classes and virtual tour, he must have been paying close attention, because at the end when we were all getting back on the bus to return to San Miguel, he asked me:

"'So anyone who's been recently baptized has to wait one year to be able to enter the temple? What do I have to do to get baptized? How lucky that I haven't been baptized by any other church, still. How can I become a missionary? Could I be a missionary?'

"WOW. This youth (he's 20) is a MIRACLE. And after all that, he also committed to attend sacrament meeting not only tomorrow, but EVERY Sunday he has off work. (It'll be every other Sunday.)" (Journal 3, 6 December 2014, self-translated)

Every bus is in a hurry in El Salvador...
"I jumped out of a bus last Monday because Hna Ortega had already gotten off but the bus started to leave again without giving me the opportunity to get off. It didn't stop for me, so I jumped." (It wasn't going very fast, maybe two miles per hour.) (Journal 3, 30 December 2014, self-translated)

El volcán Chaparrastique

8 Nov 2014--me, Hna Fuentes, Saraí and Saraí's member boyfriend at her baptism

Oriente super P-day with Presidente! All the zones in the oriente got together for a sports day

Hna Fuentes, Perlita, Hna Lovo, me

Hna Fuentes, Hna Lovo, me, Hazel

There was a bee flying around getting in everyone's hair. Hazel's creativity saved her.

5 Dec 2014--Hno Victor's baptism! He asked E. Acosta to baptize him.
E. Acosta, Hno Victor, and Hno Edgar (ward mission leader)

"Como dos hermanos," Victor said about his pose with E. Acosta :)

13 Dec 2014--A family that came to the "Share the Gift" temple activity

14 Dec 2014--E. Acosta, E. Belk, Kevin, Hna Fuentes, me

Hna Fuentes and I got along really well. I love her!

14 Dec 2014--With the Garcia family: Kevin, Adán, Jose, Flor

Cooking sausages at the Garcia home

15 Dec 2014--Me, Hna Fuentes, Hna Lea, Hna Yancy
Noche de hogar/farewell party for Hna Fuentes

Hna Fuentes with Yancy's cute kids, Jefferson and Joselin

Navidad 2014: To be a missionary is the best gift anyone could ask for

My parents sent me this Christmas tree

Hna Ortega had terrible luck with the mirror at our house. She accidentally broke it over and over again, until we were left with only this small piece. haha

I love Hna Ortega!

Dia de Navidad con Presidente--Hna Hall, me, Hna Ortega, Hna Sagapolu

For the Missionary Talent Show, one zone did a live nativity with a little help from Presidente, his wife, and one of their grandsons

La zona San Miguel with President's family

Group shot at the día de Navidad 2015

24 Dec 2014--Returning from another intercambio with Hna Huamani

Hermana y Hermano Brito invited us to eat panes con pollo for Christmas

By the river in Canton Miraflores (aka "el mongollano")

Hna Alcantara and her daughter

Hna Ortega made baleadas for a noche de hogar.
Hna Ortega con Hna Sonia

Hna Norberta taught us to make budin! A current investigator, Laura, came too :)

17 Jan 2015--One last miracle baptism: Joving!
Hno Edgar, E. Belk, E. Perez, Joving, me, Hna Ortega, Hno Darwin

With my volcano

Last cita with familia Lovo

Saying goodbye to Hna Adela

20 Jan 2015--Hno Edgar organized a surprise farewell party for me, Hna Ortega and Elder Perez

E. Perez, E. Belk, Hno Darwin, Hna Jackelin, Hno Edgar, Hna Ortega, me

The elderes and us both visited the familia Ayala

Joving somehow escaped work and came to our farewell party for a bit!

Con Maria and Kristina

Laura came to our house on our last night to say goodbye

21 Jan 2015--With the "hermano taxista," a recent convert from a different ward who was ON FIRE

(and a friend of ours)

Hna Sagapolu gave Hna Ortega and I each a Samoan lava-lava

Hna Cano and Hna Huamani grabbed us for one last picture

Hna Cano, me, Hna Huamani, Hna Ortega, Hna Herrera

Hna Guerrero and a brand new missionary took over the area when Hna O and I left.

14 Feb 2015--Kevin got baptized on his birthday! (and Valentine's Day)

(In the picture, his member girlfriend Soraya and Soraya's father, who apparently baptized him)

Four lessons I learned on my mission

Going on a mission is kind of like living a mini-lifetime. I learned a lot of things that I think other people take a whole life to learn. The biggest lesson I learned is how merciful God is with us. I would like to share a few other specific things with you today...

1. Christ's grace is sufficient to cover our weaknesses. I learned this lesson very well on my mission. I am not the most outgoing person in the world, and when I first arrived in El Salvador it was hard for me to learn to talk to people in the street and do all the things missionaries have to do. But over time, I learned that I didn't have to be perfect in order to be a "good" missionary. Really, all I had to do was try. As long as I tried, the Lord could bless my efforts and make them enough.

In the Book of Mormon, it reads:

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27)

We are all human beings who make mistakes and have our own strengths and weaknesses. But God and Jesus Christ are perfect, and they can use even imperfect instruments to do their work. As it says in another scripture, God is able to do His own work. One of my missionary trainers once told us, "This work is bigger than you." He meant it as, "Forget yourself and focus on your purpose," but it hit me in a different way: God is in control. Whatever mistakes we make, it will all be okay in the end because God will use our imperfect efforts to bring to pass miracles. (If we humble ourselves before Him, of course.)

When I first arrived in Apopa (my second area in the mission), it was hard for me because I was fresh out of training and President made me a senior companion over another missionary with more experience. I was really intimidated, overwhelmed, and stressed. Every night, I cried into my pillow as I poured out my soul to God. I told Him I didn't feel good enough, and a lot of things weren't going my way. He didn't answer my prayer by immediately vanishing all of my problems and insecurity, but He did provide me with the strength I needed to carry on. Every morning, I felt a renewed sense of hope and faith that in the night before it had seemed impossible to possess. I learned to trust in the Lord. This was a miracle He performed day after day, week after week, and month after month, until I finally felt secure with myself as a missionary.

2. "You serve what you love and you love what you serve." My mission president once said that to us in a zone conference. He compared it to our mothers. Why do we love our mothers so much? Because they're always serving us. Why do our mothers love us so much? Because they're always serving us. This principle applies to all aspects of life. In the mission field, I learned to love the Salvadorean people, and I especially learned to love the Lord.

The prophet Moroni explains why this kind of selfless love is so important:

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. (Moroni 7:48, emphasis added)

Meaning, if we don't have this love, we are not true followers of Jesus Christ. I prayed a lot on my mission to be filled with this love. Then I tried to show love to the people I visited, and the love developed in me naturally. Every time I was able to watch someone make changes in their life, or be baptized, I was filled with joy. I was happy because I loved them.

Hermano Victor is one of the most memorable people I met on my mission. When the missionaries first met him, he was preparing to become a pastor in a neighborhood church. They asked if they could share a message with him, and discovered that about 20 years before he had already received a pair of elders, who had given him a copy of the Book of Mormon. He had read the entire Book of Mormon from beginning to end, but didn't understand much of what he read. The sisters' biggest challenge was getting him to come to church, but after weeks of inviting him, they finally convinced him to give it a chance. When he stepped through the doors, one of the first things he saw was a painting of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. He stopped, said, "I saw that painting in my dream," and after that he never missed a Sunday.

In his old church, he had had a portion of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, but there in the chapel in San Miguel he found the fulness of the truth, and it completely changed his life. The week before his baptism, he was changing a lightbulb in his ceiling when he fell from a ladder on top of a nail. We actually knocked on his door only minutes after it happened, and instead of teaching him that day we had to clean up the glass pieces and doctor him up a little. He told us, "Don't worry, sisters, I know what this is. Satan is trying to keep me from being baptized. Well, I'll show him. I will be baptized this Saturday!" And he was. He is currently serving in the Roosevelt Ward by putting away all the chairs after church, and although he could have been a pastor had he stayed in his old church, he is proud of that small assignment. His testimony has greatly strengthened mine. I love that 67-year-old man with all my heart.

3. Sharing the gospel is part of our baptismal covenant. When we are baptized, we promise to be witnesses of God at all times and in all things (Mosiah 18:9). It's a commandment for us to share the gospel, and a show of true love for others. We are talking about helping our family members and friends who may not know the gospel receive the fulness of the truth, so that they may one day return to live in the presence of God. On my mission, I learned that sharing the gospel doesn't have to be scary - you just have to look for the needs of others and listen to the Spirit, which will tell you how you can help (Doctrine and Covenants 84:85). As I focused my attention outward, I slowly gained experience in recognizing and following that still, small voice.

I once met a woman in Cojutepeque named Maricela. She was a wife and mother to four children. We were having a rough day. All our fixed appointments fell through, and very few people were receiving us into their homes. As a last resort, we finally knocked on a door neighboring one of our contacts (he hadn't been home) and Maricela opened the door. She was very surprised to see us, and after inviting us in, told us why. About five years before, one of her teenage sons was murdered. She took the tragedy very hard and wanted answers. One of her friends came forward, introduced herself as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and began teaching her about the Plan of Salvation and what happens after death. Maricela began taking the missionary lessons, but then lost contact with the elders until she moved to Cojute.

She said she had actually seen us about two weeks before walking down the street. She was so excited to see us that she commented to a friend who was with her, "Look! Those are the missionaries." She began praying really hard that we would stop and talk to her... and was very disappointed when we walked right past her.

I felt so guilty when she shared this story with us. I thought to myself, if only I had been paying more attention to the people around me and to the Spirit, we could have found this woman who truly needs the gospel two weeks ago! I was grateful that God in His mercy had given us a second chance and led us to find her, but I privately determined never to let anyone slip by me again.

That determination was put to the test many times in San Miguel. One night in particular, my companion and I were again having a rough day. All the appointments fell through, few people had received us, and it was almost time to go home for the night. We were so discouraged we didn't even want to street contact anymore, but as we trudged along I thought to myself, this is dumb. We are missionaries. We're supposed to talk with everyone! I'm going to talk to the very next person I see! ... The very next person I saw was a young, 20-year-old man named Joving. We began talking with him, and he said, "Well, my mom goes to this church, my grandma goes to another church, and my aunt goes to that other church, but I've never been to a Mormon church before." He committed to attend a missionary activity at the San Salvador Temple the very next day (about a 3-hour commute each way, but that didn't faze him), felt the Spirit at the temple, and on the way home asked me what he had to do to enter it one day, and what he had to do to become a full-time missionary like we were. He was baptized six weeks later (on the last Saturday of my mission).

4. In life, if we have God, we have everything, even if we have nothing. The majority of the people where I served in El Salvador lived in very humble conditions. Some had nice, but always small, houses. Others lived in houses made of big aluminum sheets. Some had nothing but a plastic sheet to sleep under. But in every case, although the people had few earthly possessions, I was amazed by their faith in God and their overall good humor. I learned from each of them a simple truth: if we put God first in our lives, He really does take care of us, and we may experience joy even in difficult circumstances. Some simple verses of scripture say it best:

And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the law of Moses. And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly...And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness. (2 Nephi 5:10-11, 27)

One of my most faithful converts, Hermana Rosa from Nejapa (in Apopa) lives with her family in a small three-room house made of aluminum sheets with a dirt floor. They live with their chickens and two dogs. She doesn't have many earthly possessions, but her home has a sweet, unique Spirit and sense of security that other homes don't have. She's proud to own a Bible and Triple Combination and reads her scriptures every day. She was the first member of her family to take that big step of faith by being baptized, but over time her daughter and husband were baptized too, and now the entire family is persevering in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As I was reading the Book of Mormon on my mission, a verse in Mosiah caught my eye. It's part of the story of Alma, a great gospel teacher who had to sneak away from the city and hold church meetings in secret because the king had threatened to kill him and everyone who listened to him. Although it was dangerous for the people to meet him there outside the city, their sacrifices enabled them to gain eternal blessings, and they were glad to make them:

And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever. (Mosiah 18:30)

Now, read the verse again, but replace the word "Mormon" with "El Salvador." Cool, huh. This verse perfectly describes my feelings for the wonderful country of El Salvador. I am very, very grateful that my Heavenly Father allowed me to serve there as His representative for the past 18 months. I know He lives, and has real power that we can feel in our lives- if we're looking for it. I know He loves us, and everything He does or allows to happen in our lives has a purpose, and that purpose is to help us learn and grow so we can be happy with our families forever in His presence.

The time is short

That`s my volcano Chaparrastique! :)

The time is short, the days are shorter, can time just PAUSE for a second and let me breathe??

Dear family and friends,

We had a bit of a down week. Hna Ortega and I are fighting the baggy monster con todo by this point. We were able to teach varios lessons but one of our goals this week is to talk to EVERYONE in the street this week!

We`re doing great though, Jovinh is progressing and excited con todo for his baptism on Saturday, and we`re both very grateful that God is giving us this last great miracle.

I hope you`re all doing well. Take a second out of your busy day to say a prayer in your heart thanking God for all the blessings in your life. We have MANY blessings from Him, and we receive more every time we OBEY His commandments.

I love you! Take care!

Hna Henrie

Another semana (week) gone by

Hna O and I went to El Taurino`s last Monday for lunch. It`s an authentic Mexican food place. It was really yummy (I ate a `gringa,` haha, it was basically a flour tortilla burrito) but a bit expensive. We`re not going to return. This yellow dress was given to me by a member in Cojute. I`m bringing it home, because I like it. :)

Dear family and friends,

This was an excellent week. We did all the normal missionary things, then add in the AWESOME fact that Jovinh passed his baptismal interview yesterday, making his baptismal date pretty darn sure. It`s a tender mercy of the Lord to be able to see one more baptism here in El Salvador before January 21, and Jovinh is so prepared to make this important covenant with God. Hna Ortega and I are super excited!

Love you all. How`d it go this past week looking for opportunities to serve?

Take care.

Hna Henrie


This is a part of our area called the canton Miraflores. I`m not sure how to explain what a canton is. It`s like a pueblo, a tiny little town with no stores and no streets, just one (or three) room houses. There are maybe 100 houses there in total. Everyone has their own well where they get water.

Merry Christmas

Dear family and friends,

The week of Christmas always leans a little more toward the fun side of mission life than the work-like-a-dog side. We didn`t have as many lessons as I would have liked, but we did get to visit a LOT of members and help them feel the Spirit of Christmas. We had seven invitations from members to eat on Christmas Eve, and yes, we did go to all seven. What we couldn`t eat in the moment we packaged up and took home. By now, I only have a few leftovers left.

It was great to see my family on Skype on Christmas Day! I felt a little odd, though. My little brother has turned into a tall, deep-voiced teenager. My little sister is also tall, and is becoming a beautiful young woman. Time sort of freezes while you`re in the mission. Missionaries have a tendency to forget that life goes on as normal at home. We`re so completely wrapped up in a whole different world that we forget the old world. At least, I have forgotten a lot about what it was like to live in Utah, USA. It`s a bit of a culture shock to talk to your family and see the inside of your house, and everything.

I hope you all had GREAT Christmases! This week I only want to make on invitation: look around. Take your eyes away from this screen a moment to see who is by your side, or to think of all the people that surround you. They are your family, your friends, your neighbors... hasta the little old lady in the grocery store. I invite you to look for the needs of those people. Be Christ`s hands in blessing the sick, comforting the sad, and strengthening the weary. Even if you think you yourself are in need of a blessing, or comfort, or strength, focusing outward instead of inward will help you feel the Spirit of God, and will bring you happiness.

I`ll be doing it too, this week. We will see miracles.

Love,

Hna Henrie

1. Hna Ortega made baleadas for a family home evening last Monday. They were delicious! This foto is her making the dough for the tortillas.

2. part of a delicious pan con pollo. We ate about five of them this Christmas season. They`re basically just chicken sandwiches. This one had chicken, lettuce, tomato, remolache (I don`t know what that is in English, but we have them in the States too), cucumber and mayonnaise. It was super yummy!