Pay attention to the words of the Prophets

Hello family (:  
     I miss and love you all tons and especially this week with Hna. Spainhower as she updates me on some of the things in the states and I've talked a lot about you guys. It's been crazy this week but i love it. Hna Spainhower is a true angel that God knew i needed.  I literally can't believe that we will sustain 3 new apostles at Conference and im so sad Elder Scott died. I had been looking forward to hearing him because we didn't hear from him the last conference either. ): but I'm looking forward to see the new apostles and see the true keys of the priesthood still active and living in this day and age.  I've been thinking a lot about Aunt Shelly, Brianna and Mark lately and I am hoping that you guys are working hard to bring them closer to Christ. if anyone in our family right now needs Him, its them. 

     This week has been crazy. So Monday was just tiring and then Tuesday we were knocking doors in the morning and then in the night we went to the chapel to help the new missionaries knock doors. It felt like torture for me and Hermana Apena because we were getting to know the 5 new hermanas without knowing who would be our companion! Well I left with Hermana Thomas, a member in our ward and Hermana Spainhower!! I loved her enthusiasm and although she knew hardly any spanish she was so willing to try. The goal for the newbies was to enter into a home and to give away a Book of Mormon. I was praying that we would have the opportunity to enter into at least one home, and the last door we knocked, WE DID!! Plus the experience was sooooo cool because the lady and her son that we taught were so ready. Hna. Spainhower even bore her testimony without being asked or anything!! I really was praying that she would be my companion even thought it seemed almost too good of a dream. So the next morning we got to the chapel to have President Rassmussen talk to us. Something that he told us was that we were chosen to be trainers because we could do two things, 1) Be Exactly Obedient and 2) Because we could be kind.

The whole time i was just getting more and more antsy realizing the pressure that really had come from being a trainer. I was the only missionary in the 30 trainers that just finished their own training. AHHH! Finally the newbies got there and President Rasmussen put the trainers on one side and the newbies on the other. I got so antsy and excited but finally he called my name with Hermana Spainhower!! I was on cloud 9 and grinning from one ear to the other. Im not sure what i did to deserve such a wonderful companion but Hna. Spainhower is the best. Her testimony is so strong and she has so much love for these people already. She is thrilled to learn spanish and determined to do it. She reminds me a lot of Keirra actually but I love it. (: 

     We got to work on Thursday Friday and Saturday and this week has been  little rough because almost all of our appointments fell through but we found SO many new contacts. a few lot of crazies... lol but its been so good. I love the fact that Hna. Spanihower is so open and willing to do anything. She is giving me some of the MTC energy that I had lost. Saturday we saw the women's conference and yes in english and it was beautiful!! I did love Elder Uchtdorf's talk and i received a lot of insights and revelation. 

     Hermano Freddy did come to church and he really is desiring to learn. We didn't have the time to teach him this week but we plan on teaching him tomorrow. Hermano Jesus also came but as soon as he got there he got called away to work and so he wrote us a small note apologizing and saying that he really wanted to make it up to God. WOW!! There are so many people and members that don't have that perspective let alone a new investigator who has only had one lesson. I cannot wait to see them in white. This week has been fun with lots of laughs and lots of blessings. I hope that I can be what the Lords wants me to be and that this upcoming conference will guide me to receive the answers i am looking for as a trainer, missionary, daughter, and servant of the Lord. 

     I hope all is well and miss and love you guys so much. Take care of yourselves and please pay attention to the words of the prophets I have such a strong testimony of them. INVITE EVERYONE TO CONFERENCE you never know who will be touched one day by their words. 

Love love love love you, Hermana Tanuvasa

Kayla will be a Trainer

  After 2 1/2 months in the mission field Kayla will be training a 

new sister missionary :)

Hello family!!!

      I didn't know what to put as the title for this week lolo because its basically been like that.... AHHHHHH

       So it started on Wednesday, we were teaching Fabiola who will soon complete her one year as member and is a single mom with two young kids. The father of her children recently told her that he will not be sending her money anymore and she doesn't know how she is going to pay for everything. She told us that she wasn't going to pay her tithing this month so we totally changed our lesson to talk about tithing. Well we did... we talked and talked, but it wasn't until i heard dad's words from a past email that talked about the power of the scriptures that i opened up to 2 Nephi 22:2, a scripture i have come to love on the mission. As she read, she broke down crying and said she would pay her tithing, and trust in God. I am sure of the power of the scriptures and that the contain the words of God. We can talk, but when we use scriptures, they can change lives. Later that night we met Flor knocking doors who basically did everything for us as she asked us to teach her and then gave us a referral even before we asked!!! We are truly finding those prepared for the gospel.

      Thursday we had interviews with President Rasmussen and something that he told me was that my next transfer would teach me how to trust in the Lord more. Well when i heard this i thought for sure I was going to get a hard companion or be moved to a difficult area.... Well thats what i heard until we got the news on Saturday. BUT we are still on Thursday! So we finished interviews and then went to teach Hermano Freddy and Hno Marcos Espinoza, our ward missionary leader, accompanied us. It was a great lesson and afterwards, Freddy's brother, Jesus who is 35 years old sat down and thanked us for teaching his brother and giving him hope again We then told him we would return Saturday to teach Freddy and Jesus. 

       So we arrive to Saturday. Saturday's are always difficult because I'm Super tired.. and yet somehow after Sunday and Monday i magically have energy for the week again lol. Well we had a District Meeting in the morning and then after lunch we taught Hermano Freddy. Hermano Marcos accompanied us again and the lesson was really good!! Afterwards Freddy wanted to sing to us and he pulled out his guitar and sang this super pretty Spanish song that i had a hard time understanding. But it was great! lol. As we listened to Freddy, we saw that Jesus was there. So we talked and then had the lesson with him. WOW!! We taught the first lesson and he was soooo receptive and understood so much! He told us very firmly that he would pray THAT night because he really wanted to know if this church was the Lords. He told us of some of the experiences he had had with other churches and that he didn't feel fright. We set a baptism date for October 17 and he was so firm in his yes!!! I left smiling from one end of the world to the other. Hermano Freddy and Jesus have been well prepared by God to receive the joy and happiness that He has in store for them. Afterwards we decided to meet as a district to receive the changes. We sat waiting and i was sooooo anxious to find out. Well Hermana Echegaray is going to Talara, basically full desert lolol. Hermana Vasquez is leaving for Tacala, Hna. Garcia will be with Hna. Ruiz....... and I WILL BE A TRAINER!!!!!! AHHHHHH!! I am still in shock :o lol. Hna. Echegaray left this morning for Talara and right now i am with Hna. Apeña until we meet our new companions on Wednesday! Uh its kinda killing me that i have to wait three days after everyone else but i laughed because i had to wait three weeks to find out where i was going for the mission! lol Three is my lucky number. So i guess i will be learning to trust more in God because i still don't know ALOT of Spanish but my companion wont know anything lolol. 

      Finally we had Sunday and guess what!! Hermano Freddy and Jesus attended church and stayed for the whole three hours!!! They were a little late so they missed the sacrament but next week for sure they will be on time!! You guys have no idea how hard it is to get people to attend church here so basically I'm on Cloud 9 right now. This week has been soooo crazy and it will only get crazier ahahaha but our investigators are progressing and i cant wait until the day they are dressed in white. God truly does care for his children ad loves each and every one of us. 

       I miss each and every one of you ad I'm glad to hear all is well.

(these are in answer to Kayla's families questions and news)

Thanks for sending the package mom :)

My favorite missionary scripture is ALMA 36:24
     Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

       I feel like this is why i came on a mission :)

(Kanoah got his drivers permit) WHAT KANOAH CANT BE THAT OLD!!! 

Uh how crazy is that lolol

I'm glad you guys are feeling love from the ward, honestly its what we need more of here in Piura. 

( Did you feel any after shocks from the 8.3 Chilean earthquake) 

No we haven't felt anything but we did hear of it. But here everyones like oh ay that happens all the time lol guess we will have to see. 

I AM SO PUMPED FOR CONFERENCE!!  I heard that we get to watch it in english!!! woooooo

I love and miss you tons family and I love you mom. Take care of yourselves and don't forget how much I miss you guys

Love hermana Tanuvasa

Never a normal week

Hello family (: I love and miss you all. You boys are so cute in your football outfits. I hope you know I'm cheering for you guys over here in Piura.. where there is no such thing as American Football hahaha. Kai you are the bomb!! Keanu you are getting too big!!! Slow down!! and Kanoah please don't pay attention to any of the girls over there i promise you until i have met her she's not good enough (; Also boys stop breaking stuff (like thumbs and feet) lol 

So my title is literally the theme of every week that we have here in Piura. Never do we have a normal week. This week, literally right after i emailed you guys last week we had some trouble with where we live. Now we are looking for somewhere else to live. So this week was a little stressful with that and let me say that Mom and Dad both your emails this week seem to speak exactly to what I've been learning. But we are teaching Hermano Freddy Alvarado and he is doing well! The first day we taught him we realized he wasn't all there and that with teaching him we have to go super slow and repeat things several times until he understands. But we left him a BOM and he read it and understood so well. When we asked him what he read he told us almost exactly what he read and then said but idk because i cant really understand that well. We were in shock and we knew that his comprehension really came from God. We have a baptismal date set for the 17th of October and we really hope everything works out. I had a good study the other day and i wrote down my thoughts in my journal that I want to share.

"Ï think having Hna. Echegaray as a companion has been such a blessing. She has such a strong testimony and is very in tune with the Spirit. However sometimes she gets discouraged over her physical sufferings. There is always something wrong with her body or she's tired or she's thinking about home and often times i get frustrated because i really want to work with all my heart, might, mind and strength but i don't feel like i am. Well i read the talk by Elder Dale G. Renlund, "Latter-Days Saints Keep on Trying" He talks about trying again and working to change and I felt enthusiastic to try harder this week and to be better. I felt this was my response to the pleadings of my heart. Then later in the talk he talks about having patience for others as they are trying. He then gives a story of a missionary (please read it) and basically i saw myself as this missionary. He says, "Curtis learned that he needed to be patient with an imperfect companion who nonethless was trying in his own way." Dad, your words of pushing harder, being stronger, and perserving to the end are always in my mind. But Hna. Echegaray isn't as strong as i am. She is very delicate and cant walk as fast or push her body as much. She is also very sensitive to pain. Does this mean she is worse that me? Not at all, in fact i learned that I am the one in serious need of repentance. I need to repent, love and always give her another try. For how can i expect God to give me another try if i cannot give it to others? Just as the Savior returned to his disciples after his resurrection in John21, he asks Peter "Lovest thou me more than these?"I think the Lord would ask me the same if I love numbers and baptisms more than one of his precious children. God has a deep love for Hna. Echegaray and I need to be filled with this love. God will bless our investigators and provide the way so that we can touch each and every one of their hearts to change as well but first we have to change ourselves."

Mom and Dad I cant tell you how on point your emails are. Mom you are touching lives one by one and I am learning how to be more like you. Dad I am learning also how to be happy despite circumstances that i might desire to change. The Lord and his timing are perfect and the Atonement is infinite and real. I feel it each day as i beg the Lord for forgiveness and the opportunity to try again. 

So when do we have a normal week where we have all our appointments and no weird stuff or drastic realizations.. NEVER!! but hey welcome to the mission field. And i love it (: i love being here. I love learning every day and i love these people. I cannot wait to continue seeing what the Lord has in store for Freddy Alvarada or Hna. Echegaray or anyone else in the Piura,Peru mission. 

Keirra, Kanoah, Keanu and Kai I encourage you to continue being missionaries. And being a missionary means loving like Christ to want to bless others lives. So yes that means you can be a missionary NOW, in the home, in the ward, in your school, in your sport. Always love and show your gratitude to mom and dad. I cannot tell you guys how grateful I am for our parents. They have eternally blessed each and every one of us with spectacular lives beaucse they know our Savior and His spirit. I love and miss you all and hope you guys have a great week!!

Love 

Hermana Tanuvasa

Miracles in Huancavelica

Hello family!!!! 

     Mom, WOW I cant believe how the words of God can bless so many. The words from a prophet of God penetrated my heart and ended up penetrating tons of others all the way in California. How beautiful is that? I love Elder Bednar's talk and mom I have really seen you be a great exemplar of this love and comfort. You always took the time to give comfort to those who were in need in a way that many others couldn't, including to me. i feel so blessed to look back on some of the experiences that I had with you and with the family. I hope all is well with everyone starting this week of school. I thought of you guys a lot this week. We had a really cool activity (which was the video you saw) with all the returned missionaries in our ward and we as missionaries presented a little of our life before and now in the mission. It was a great success and the spirit blessed us. 

But according to my title wow guys this week has been so amazing. Since I've gotten here in Miraflores 2 we have been praying and praying for the hearts of the people to be softened so that we can have one baptism or rescue, but literally almost none of the people we teach are progressing. Its so frustrating as we feel the spirit and see them recognize it during the lessons and yet they still don't change. Well with the new change in the mission to only knock doors from 6-8 we decided to go to the farther end of our area. *(Our area is gigantic!! to walk to one end to the other at a good pace takes about a half hour which is sometimes super tiring and hard to plan around) but basically we decided to explore more of the area within Piura. Well within this week and a part of last we have found 4 new investigators that literally are sooo ready for the gospel. Each house that we entered i just left jumping up and down with excitment. We found Hermano Carlos Enrique who recently had his conviviente leave him with his two sons. We found Hermano Freddy Alvarado who the moment we walked in the door had such a strong connection with the spirit. We found Hermano Dagoverto Jimenez whose wife died only a month ago today, and we found Hermano Miguel Catedras who warmly welcomed us to return. I am seeing that God's timing is perfect and that he really has prepared these four men to hear the gospel. I cannot wait to keep watching them progress and move forward. Something interesting though that Hermano Carlos and Hermano Freddy both told us is to Not Forget Them. And both times that they said this i felt firmly in my heart the Lord saying that he never does forget his children. I love the scripture that is in this months liahona that says God counts the ravens in the sky and how much more we are than ravens. (Luke 12:6-7)

     I testify that each person in this world is counted by God and God sents his servants to bless and give love to each one. I am receiving more testimony of this each day as we teach according to the needs of each one of Gods children. God is aware of us and wants us to be happy. We can be happy as we receive and apply the gospel principles in our life. 

I miss you all so much and im praying for you each day. Keep being the best family in the whole world!! Share the gospel with everyone and remember that each one of you has a special place in my heart and more importantly in Gods.

Hermana Tanuvasa

We are called to the ONE

I got to bake Monster Cookies with Sister Rasmussen yesterday 

in the Mission Home and I saw Sister Howell, I love her so much!!!

HELLO FAMILY!!

     Ok that is so cool about you and grandma going to the temple together (: I'm so glad that you finally got that opportunity and that grandma is working to come back again. I actually wanted to ask you how are Auntie Shelly are Mark and Bri? That is also super cool for Kai, that he has 6 other members of the church in his 1st grade class. I think Kai is going to have many new special opportunities that we didn't have. But thats because the time is growing closer each time to the second coming. That is something that is almost always on my mind. THE SECOND COMING. i don't know why but almost every time i study the scriptures there is at least one thing that talks about it. Im not sure when but each day, when i read my scriptures i feel more and more how close it is. I can't believe all that has changed from mom and dad, your guys generation and ours. In reality, God is preparing us and Im grateful every day to have the opportunity to be apart of the hastening of the work. 

       We are still sad about losing Petronila as an investigator but we will continue to pass by and hope that she will open up again. 

      So this week our numbers were pretty low again. Mostly because on Wednesday we went to Morropon again, but this time to help with the missionary work over there. Morropon is SOOO different from MiraFlores but it was so beautiful. Its quiet and peaceful and almost every door we knocked on the people were like "Pasen pasen" or come in! Such a difference between the busy city and the people we have in our area. It was a great experience and we ended up with a lot of referrals for the Elders over there. 

     Also as you guys all know we had Elder Bednar come. WOW!!! What an amazing experience. I sat in the front row of the chapel so i was probably only 5 or 6 feet away from him. so I don't know if i told you but we had to study three talks before he came, "Converted Unto the Lord", "Ask in Faith" and "Seek Learning By Faith". I didn't know before but he actually sent those talks for us to prepare. I learned so much just by studying them and i still have a lot to apply to our teachings solely from what i learned in studying the talks. But when he came, he asked us what we learned and basically it was like a giant class. But the most beautiful part was that Elder Bednar was not the teacher, .... The Spirit was. Guys this was probably the most key part that we learned. That the Spirit is the teacher. We then had the opportunity to ask any question that we wanted from Elder Bednar. There were some very spiritually inspired questions from some of the Elders and Hermanas. I learned so much that I really can't write it all anywhere. But as Elder Bednar said "We will never forget what has happened here." I received so many answers to many prayers and received a lot of revelation for myself and for those that we are teaching. But the reason i have titled this email as it is because of the response that Elder Bednar gave to a really good and inspired question. Elder Soto asked Elder Bednar in very funny and simple terms "WHAT DO YOU DO?" lolol. Elder Bednar explained " We dedicate temples in front of millions of people... but thats not what we do. We visit missions and thousands of missionaries around the world... but thats not what we do. We give talks in general conference that are translated into over a 100 different languages... but thats not what we do. Every place we are called to, every town we visit, we are there for the one." He then continued on to explain some experiences he had had with "the one". I realized this week that that should be my mentality. Looking at Abinadi, one of the greatest missionaries, he only had one convert for all his hard work. But thats because he worked for the one. And in the end, he sealed his testimony with his life, and ended up  allowing so many hundreds of thousands to regain their lives, through Alma, Abinadi's only one. 

Finally to finish the meeting they bore testimony (Elder and Sister Bednar and Elder and Sister Godoy) and how simple and beautiful they were. 

I join my testimony with theirs, to the small group of you who read my emails, that I know without a doubt that God lives. I know Jesus Christ is His Son, who died and suffered for us, because he loves us, individually and uniquely, because to Him,we are the one. I know that Jesus Christ will come again. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet and that he and the twelve apostles hold the same keys that Christ himself had. I know families are forever and that the gospel brings happiness. And I know all this is possible through my Savior, even the Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. In His sacred name, Amen.

Love love love love love you all Mom and Dad, Keirra, Kanoah, Keanu and Kai.

Hermana Kayka Tanuvasa