Hola Mi Querida familia!!!!
How is everyone doing!?! I hope you had such a great last week!! I hope and pray that someone wants to buy the house I have prayed and fasted for that to happen!! But DAD I think this is the very first time in my whole entire mission that you haven’t wrote me!! I was so sad not to see your letter in my in box and read your words for the very last time as a Hermana Missionera hopefully you are ok! Are you ok dad!?!! I love you so much. You probably have been really busy with the house, but its ok I can give you a hug in person next Tuesday! And for sure mom I will choose the right! LOL!!!
But Yes this is my very last letter as a full time missionary! I won’t be able to write again because Monday is changes and right after changes we have our last interviews with Presidente Galvez. Then they make a special dinner for us. Then I will sleep in the mission house and take my flight Tuesday morning!!
I don’t know what to say. There are so many emotions I am feeling! Eagerness to see my family but my heart is sad to leave this beautiful place which I have grown to love with all my heart! I love the people here. I never knew I could love a people as much as I love the people of Costa Rica!!! I feel in part that I am leaving my family! I can’t believe that in a week all this will be a memory that I will cherish for my whole life! I have learned so much and I have grown so much!! I am not the same person! I don’t want to be the same person!
I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father that I had this amazing opportunity to serve Him and represent His son Jesus Christ for the last year and a half! I can’t tell you all how much I love my Savior. I love Him with every fiber of my being! I know He lives. I know He died for us! I know that the Atonement is real. I have felt its healing powers in my life! I know that He has been here with me through every moment in my mission. Through the hard times and through the times of happiness! I know that the Atonement can heal all wounds that we might have! I know that my Savior loves us that is why He came down and gave up His life that we too might return to live with our Heavenly Father again. It is only through our Savior Jesus Christ that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father! I know He lived and experienced all that we could ever feel in this life and because of this He knows how to succor his people to help them over come the trails in this life! I have seen the Atonement change lives! I have seen it soften hearts and change peoples thoughts and actions!! I love my Savior. I know the He lived and died for me. I am so eternally indebted to Him! What a privilege it has been to wear His name over my heart and everyday testify of His love and mercy! Because it is through His mercy, after all that we can do, that we are saved! I know that the plan of salvation is perfect. That our loving Father in Heaven created the marvelous plan for us. That that perfect plan helps us know where we came from! What is our purpose and where we go after this life! It is our map to return to Heavenly Father again! I can’t express the Love that our Heavenly Father has for us! When we stumble and fall He is there with open arms to help us get up and to get back on the path! This gospel is perfect because our Savior is perfect. He is at the head of this church and that he leads and guides us through living Prophets! That we don’t have to be confused in this world, but that we know who we are and we know where we are going!
I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It is another testament of our Savior Jesus Christ! I testify that every page testifies of him and His infinite Atonement! If we read this amazing inspired book of God we will come to know our Savior in such a personal way! I have come to truly know my Savior through reading the Book of Mormon and I have seen families change through this Book. Like the little family in Nicoya whose children were wild and running around and yelling but as soon as their parents started to read the Book of Mormon they quieted down walked over to their parents crawled upon their laps and sat there and listed to the wonderful words that help us become more like our Savior! The wonderful words that help us put off the natural man and become more like a child whose is humble and patient and long suffering! Every time I read this book I feel my Saviors love and I want to be better. I want to be more like Him!! I know the Book of Mormon is true with very fiber of my soul!! I love it!!!!!
I also testify that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God!!! I know that he did see God the Father and His son Jesus Christ! I wasn’t there in that sacred grove but I know without a shadow of a doubt that Joseph Smith truly did experience what he says. Through simple prayer where my loving Heavenly Father caressed my heart where I know that it is true! I am so grateful for Joseph Smith for his courage to follow Christ even through hardships and trials that I don’t think we even can comprehend! I am so grateful that he restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ here on the earth once again and that we have the priesthood power. The same power that our Lord and Savior has. That righteous men can use this sacred power and be the hands of God on the earth to bless the children of men! I am so thankful for this power that we can be forever families through this sacred power! I am thankful that I have a Father and Brothers that exercise their priesthood power to bless the life of my family!!
Once again I know that the Church is true! I know that Christ lives. That after three days he rose again breaking the bands of death. That we through His infinite sacrifice we can be made whole. That we can stand before God with clean hands and a Pure heart!! I know He lives! I saw the tomb and there is no rock covering the door but He is not there. Like the angel said to the women that came to the tomb “He is not here for He is risen!!!! What amazing knowledge that is! To know that Christ lives! That he loves us!! That he gave His life for us that we might be happy forever!!
I love this gospel with my whole heart!! Maybe my time as a full time missionary is coming to a close but I am a disciple of Christ forever. I have taken up His cross and I can never look back. I am his follower till the end! I am grateful that I can serve Him and continue to serve Him every day of my life. That I can teach my children to love Him and to serve Him! That my sons and hopefully my daughters can be representatives of Him one day as well! That they can bring more souls unto Him! Because there is no other feeling mas incredible than seeing a family enter into the waters of baptism I can describe the joy that you feel knowing that they have truly repented of their sins!! How incredible it will be to see them again in the Gloria Celestial. I just can’t wait for that day to see my families here in Costa Rica in the Gloria Celestial with me and my own family, that will be pure joy!!
I am so thankful for the trials that I have experienced in my mission! I know they were for my good to help mold me into the person that God wants me to become. President Galvez told us that if we don’t have trials in our life we should be worried because trials is the way for us to know that God has a lot of trust in us and that He knows that we can become better! If we don’t have trials He doesn’t trust us and it is better to be as we are! But I am thankful for my trials. The mission isn’t easy but it is so incredible!! I love my mission. My mission means the whole world to me. I have no regrets I worked hard. I was obedient and I know that I have done the very best that I could do! I know that God helped me every minute of my mission because this is His work and He knows where His chosen children are! I love trials because it makes me better and it makes me truly understand the Atonement in such a personal way! I have truly come to understand the Atonement more! I still don’t know everything or how it could have been physically possible to Atone for my sins but what I do know is that He did!! And I am forever grateful that He did!
I love you all so much!! Thank you for your Love and support everyday of my mission!!! Your letters have helped strengthen me and helped me to become Better!! I truly have read every single letter that you all have written me and they have helped me so much throughout my mission!! I hope you all know how truly blessed I am to have you all in my life!! I love you so much and I can’t wait to see you all next Tuesday!!!! Thank you once again for everything!!!! See you soon!!!
Love Always and Forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
11/9/2011
Hola mi familia!!!!
How is everyone doing!?! Thank you Brynnie and Kisscal for your letters. They mean so much to me. Thank you for giving me an update on your cute little familia‘s!!! It sounds like they are so so so big now!!! Kiss that is so awesome you ran in a half marathon. I am so proud of you that is a lot of work!!! Congrats Kiss!!! I hope and pray that these people that have looked at your home will just fall in love with the house. I pray every night that someone will buy the House!!! I know they will if we just put all our faith in Christ!!!
So I am in an area called Tres Rios (Three rivers) with another companion. Her name is Hermana Alverez. She is from Honduras and I am very happy with her!! I am glad that I am here and in a new area. There is a lot to do but it is good to have lot of work. Like dad said so I won’t get trunky! But I am not trunky yet! Sometimes I feel like I am new and that I have such a long time till I finish my mission!! LOL!! No but I am working hard and I am going to endure to the end!!! I am going to make this last week and a half the best in my mission! But yes! this area is cold. At night I sleep with two sheets, a comforter and a blanket with a jacket and socks. Exactly like you said mom, Heavenly Father is preparing me for the cold in Colorado! LOL!!! But my area is a ward and it has about 150 members that attend church. It is so weird to see that because I am used to 56 members every Sunday!
BUT GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: President called me last Friday and said that Marta and Manuel were going to be baptized on Saturday and they have asked if I could go to the baptism. And he said that I could go!!!!!! So Hermana Trejo and I went to Nicoya and we got to see the baptism of our little family!! Isn’t that awesome!!!! I almost cried because I was in the bathroom fixing my hair and just praying to my Heavenly Father. I so wish that I could go and see the baptism because at the first of my mission I promised myself that I would work so hard and baptize and family my last change and I was so sad when I had changes! But right after my prayer guess what? The phone rang and my companion answered and she said its president and he wants to talk to you! So he told me that I had permission to go to Nicoya!
It was so wonderful!! I know that my Heavenly Father knows me and knows my Heart. I was so grateful to Him that I was able to see that family enter into the waters of baptism! There is no other feeling better then when you see a family start to make covenants to the Lord and start to follow the path that leads to eternal life! And what was also amazing was that I was able to say goodbye to the members there in Nicoya! Which was so special! It was so good that I was able to go to say goodbye! Nicoya is so special to me!! I know that God loves me. I am sometimes in awe of how truly He loves me!! He knows me better than I know my self and he knows what I need even though it might not make sense in the moment. He know what I need to grow and to become better!!! I love Him so much!!!!
I am going to make this last week and a half the best week ever!!! Today we went to the temple as a zone. Tomorrow we have interviews with president and then next Wednesday I get to go again to the Temple with the group that’s going home with me. Our final time in the temple as full time missionaries. It will be very special! But there are a lot of things that are happening and that my time to work in the campo misional is so short! But I will work as hard as I can! And I will follow gramps advice and I will be up and doing!!!!
Well I love you all so much! Thank you for all your love and prayers and support always for me!! You don’t know how truly much it helps me! I love you Sigan Adelanto and we will see each other so soon!!!! I can’t wait!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
How is everyone doing!?! Thank you Brynnie and Kisscal for your letters. They mean so much to me. Thank you for giving me an update on your cute little familia‘s!!! It sounds like they are so so so big now!!! Kiss that is so awesome you ran in a half marathon. I am so proud of you that is a lot of work!!! Congrats Kiss!!! I hope and pray that these people that have looked at your home will just fall in love with the house. I pray every night that someone will buy the House!!! I know they will if we just put all our faith in Christ!!!
So I am in an area called Tres Rios (Three rivers) with another companion. Her name is Hermana Alverez. She is from Honduras and I am very happy with her!! I am glad that I am here and in a new area. There is a lot to do but it is good to have lot of work. Like dad said so I won’t get trunky! But I am not trunky yet! Sometimes I feel like I am new and that I have such a long time till I finish my mission!! LOL!! No but I am working hard and I am going to endure to the end!!! I am going to make this last week and a half the best in my mission! But yes! this area is cold. At night I sleep with two sheets, a comforter and a blanket with a jacket and socks. Exactly like you said mom, Heavenly Father is preparing me for the cold in Colorado! LOL!!! But my area is a ward and it has about 150 members that attend church. It is so weird to see that because I am used to 56 members every Sunday!
BUT GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: President called me last Friday and said that Marta and Manuel were going to be baptized on Saturday and they have asked if I could go to the baptism. And he said that I could go!!!!!! So Hermana Trejo and I went to Nicoya and we got to see the baptism of our little family!! Isn’t that awesome!!!! I almost cried because I was in the bathroom fixing my hair and just praying to my Heavenly Father. I so wish that I could go and see the baptism because at the first of my mission I promised myself that I would work so hard and baptize and family my last change and I was so sad when I had changes! But right after my prayer guess what? The phone rang and my companion answered and she said its president and he wants to talk to you! So he told me that I had permission to go to Nicoya!
It was so wonderful!! I know that my Heavenly Father knows me and knows my Heart. I was so grateful to Him that I was able to see that family enter into the waters of baptism! There is no other feeling better then when you see a family start to make covenants to the Lord and start to follow the path that leads to eternal life! And what was also amazing was that I was able to say goodbye to the members there in Nicoya! Which was so special! It was so good that I was able to go to say goodbye! Nicoya is so special to me!! I know that God loves me. I am sometimes in awe of how truly He loves me!! He knows me better than I know my self and he knows what I need even though it might not make sense in the moment. He know what I need to grow and to become better!!! I love Him so much!!!!
I am going to make this last week and a half the best week ever!!! Today we went to the temple as a zone. Tomorrow we have interviews with president and then next Wednesday I get to go again to the Temple with the group that’s going home with me. Our final time in the temple as full time missionaries. It will be very special! But there are a lot of things that are happening and that my time to work in the campo misional is so short! But I will work as hard as I can! And I will follow gramps advice and I will be up and doing!!!!
Well I love you all so much! Thank you for all your love and prayers and support always for me!! You don’t know how truly much it helps me! I love you Sigan Adelanto and we will see each other so soon!!!! I can’t wait!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
10/31/2011
Hola Mi Familia!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How is everyone doing! I am so sad to hear about the house! I am so sorry that is so tough!! But stay positive and I know the Lord will bless you with another family that will want to buy the house!! I will pray so very hard! Like you said there is always a reason why! Everything happens for a reason! But lets just put all our faith in the Lord and I know that it will all be ok!!
Oh Brynnie thank you for sending the pictures of Faythie!!! She is so so so big and so beautiful!!!!!! She looks so much like you Brynnie!!! So thank you for sending me those pictures it made my entire day!!
So I have news for you all too!! So this weekend Presidente called and said that they are closing down Nicoya for the sisters and they will keep the elders in Nicoya because they need priesthood holders in the branch! So now me and my companion is in San Jose and we are not sure where we are going to be. But we are going to take an area of the elders here, but I don’t know what area! Isn’t that crazy? President said it’s not because you weren’t working hard or not having success but its just because not that many sisters are coming in and he was forced to shut down an area and because I am leaving I think. That is why he shut it down and why he didn’t just wait till changes, is because he had to do it before November because we need to pay for our house and cocinera and everything before the first of the Month! It was sad to leave, for one thing our family didn’t get baptized but hopefully this weekend but we won’t be there to see it which is sad! And also because the change was so fast that I didn’t have time to really say good bye to anyone which was really tough for me because I was there for such a long time! But Heavenly Father knows better than us and sometimes things don’t work out exactly the way we want it to but He know us and He knows what is best for us!! I know my new area will be great, even if it is for 3 weeks well less more like 2 and a half! So both of us had a week of surprises. Its hard but the thing is that God knows us and He knows what is best for us right?! And he doesn’t want us to just be good, but he wants us the be the best and I know this is why things happen like this to help us grow and see if we will still have faith in Him through all trials!!! I know that if we just look up, like the Prophet said, we will find strengthen that we didn’t even know we had!! I know that God knows us and our hearts and what we truly need! I know that He loves us and we go through hard tests, but it is to see our patience and love in Him!
So I will let you know what is happening to me next Monday!! And where I am! But I love you all and keep your heads up!! And I know that the Lord will bless you with a wonderful family this week I just know it!!!! I know that everything will workout just fine!! I heard this from a member, he said always after a storm there is always peace and right now we are all passing through a storm but always there is peace and I know that the Lord will give us peace!! I love you !Thank you for all your love and support!!!
What are you all going to do for Halloween! Is the kids going to go trick or treating!! Yes here they don’t do that at all. They think Halloween is bad! LOL!
I love you and miss you and I will see you all so soon!!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How is everyone doing! I am so sad to hear about the house! I am so sorry that is so tough!! But stay positive and I know the Lord will bless you with another family that will want to buy the house!! I will pray so very hard! Like you said there is always a reason why! Everything happens for a reason! But lets just put all our faith in the Lord and I know that it will all be ok!!
Oh Brynnie thank you for sending the pictures of Faythie!!! She is so so so big and so beautiful!!!!!! She looks so much like you Brynnie!!! So thank you for sending me those pictures it made my entire day!!
So I have news for you all too!! So this weekend Presidente called and said that they are closing down Nicoya for the sisters and they will keep the elders in Nicoya because they need priesthood holders in the branch! So now me and my companion is in San Jose and we are not sure where we are going to be. But we are going to take an area of the elders here, but I don’t know what area! Isn’t that crazy? President said it’s not because you weren’t working hard or not having success but its just because not that many sisters are coming in and he was forced to shut down an area and because I am leaving I think. That is why he shut it down and why he didn’t just wait till changes, is because he had to do it before November because we need to pay for our house and cocinera and everything before the first of the Month! It was sad to leave, for one thing our family didn’t get baptized but hopefully this weekend but we won’t be there to see it which is sad! And also because the change was so fast that I didn’t have time to really say good bye to anyone which was really tough for me because I was there for such a long time! But Heavenly Father knows better than us and sometimes things don’t work out exactly the way we want it to but He know us and He knows what is best for us!! I know my new area will be great, even if it is for 3 weeks well less more like 2 and a half! So both of us had a week of surprises. Its hard but the thing is that God knows us and He knows what is best for us right?! And he doesn’t want us to just be good, but he wants us the be the best and I know this is why things happen like this to help us grow and see if we will still have faith in Him through all trials!!! I know that if we just look up, like the Prophet said, we will find strengthen that we didn’t even know we had!! I know that God knows us and our hearts and what we truly need! I know that He loves us and we go through hard tests, but it is to see our patience and love in Him!
So I will let you know what is happening to me next Monday!! And where I am! But I love you all and keep your heads up!! And I know that the Lord will bless you with a wonderful family this week I just know it!!!! I know that everything will workout just fine!! I heard this from a member, he said always after a storm there is always peace and right now we are all passing through a storm but always there is peace and I know that the Lord will give us peace!! I love you !Thank you for all your love and support!!!
What are you all going to do for Halloween! Is the kids going to go trick or treating!! Yes here they don’t do that at all. They think Halloween is bad! LOL!
I love you and miss you and I will see you all so soon!!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
10/24/2011
Hola mi familia tan Hermosa!!!
How is my family!?! I love you all so much!! My Heart is pounding so hard and I have butterflies in my stomach because I know that it is all so close and especially when you said Laren and Lindsey got the flight already booked man oh man!!! And that Bishop Tooley already said that he wants me to talk. Oh my goodness oh my goodness!!! LOL!!!
But I am so glad that everyone is doing good and the house is progressing!! How very fun and exciting times that we are having in our family!! I am glad that Case was able to have fall break now and he could help dad out on the house!! The house will mean so very much to each one of us because we have helped on that house! I remember mom and I shoveled snow out at the house remember that? while dad was cutting 2 by fours what fun memories!! I am so glad that everyone is happy and healthy! How is my cute little sobrinos? I miss them I hope that they will remember me when I come home! Hey Brynnie send me pictures of Faythie birthday I want to see it I love getting your slideshows!!
Everything is going so good! We are working hard!! We are getting our little family prepared for baptism but the biggest hurdle right now is money. They don’t have enough money to pay for the wedding. We will help them out all that we can but we hardly don’t have money either! But I know that if we put all our faith in the lord he will provide for this little family! They have a desire and they want to change their lives and that is so amazing to me!! We also have another family that we have been teaching and they too want to get baptized and married so hopefully we will have two weddings and baptisms!! I sure hope so because I have seen such amazing changes in them!! I love seeing the atonement change peoples lives I love to see when they know what true repentance is and when they have a true earnest desire to change their heart and forsake their sins! That is what true repentance is. When you want to change your thoughts and actions and forsake the things that are causing sadness in our lives! I have seen miracles when someone uses the atonement and removes their burdens. It is literally seeing someone remove a burden or carga off their shoulders they seem lighter and freeier!
I have felt it as well in my life! Especially this last change and part of this change! I was having a hard time remember? But I know that it was because I wasn’t putting all my trust and faith in my Savior! I was more thinking about me and how I was feeling but not remembering to put all my faith in the Savior and not putting all my confidence in him!! But this week I have really put all my faith in Him! Their is always struggles but if we are humble we are happier! I was praying hard how I can change me as a person and a missionary and I had an amazing answer! I was looking through my papers for my mission and I glanced down and I saw the talk, Beware of pride, I think by Ezra Taft Benson and I read it and what amazing talk. What amazing counsel that we received through this talk. I know that is was my answer how to better change me as a person! I think that Beware of Pride will always be one of my favorite talks now because I know that I found it right after I prayed ,what do I need to change in my life how can I have a better relation with my Savior and I found my answer through that talk! I know it was an answer to my prayers! And how wonderful it feels when we ask for forgiveness and have the atonement change our lives and change our hearts!! I can’t describe the love that I have for the atonement. I can’t describe the love and the gratitude I have for my Savior and Redeemer!! It is through His grace that we are saved after all that we can do!! I have been reading the Book of Mormon in a blank Book of Mormon and I have been just marking when it talks about the atonement! And it is incredible! It truly testifies almost every page tells and testifies about the atonement!! I love the verse that says through the Grace the Lord we are saved after all that we can do! I love that verse because the atonement is there wafting for us to use it. To be clean and healed but we first must do our part and we must repent and we must always live the commandments and always endure to the end. That is when the true power of the atonement can bring us into the presence of our Heavenly Father without spots! I love the opportunity to change to become better! We all have weaknesses but like it says in Ether 12:27 that God will change our weaknesses into strengths if we are humble and have faith in Christ! It is so true!! I am thankful that my weaknesses can become strengths through the help of my Savior!
It is still pretty rainy here. For about 2 weeks it just rained and rained! The sun hardly didn’t come out and it was so cold. where I have to wear socks and have two covers over me!! Seriously I will die when I come home please bring me a jacket! LOL!! But today it rained a little but the sun was out and it felt so good shining on our faces!! They said that the rain should stop by the first of November and then they said that it will be sun shiny but have wind but the members said it is the best time of year because it is sunny but feels good because of the wind! I will truly miss Nicoya! I have been here for a long time now it feels like home! LOL!!
Well I love you all! Thank you for your love and support always!! You are all so amazing to me!! Thank you for your love!!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
How is my family!?! I love you all so much!! My Heart is pounding so hard and I have butterflies in my stomach because I know that it is all so close and especially when you said Laren and Lindsey got the flight already booked man oh man!!! And that Bishop Tooley already said that he wants me to talk. Oh my goodness oh my goodness!!! LOL!!!
But I am so glad that everyone is doing good and the house is progressing!! How very fun and exciting times that we are having in our family!! I am glad that Case was able to have fall break now and he could help dad out on the house!! The house will mean so very much to each one of us because we have helped on that house! I remember mom and I shoveled snow out at the house remember that? while dad was cutting 2 by fours what fun memories!! I am so glad that everyone is happy and healthy! How is my cute little sobrinos? I miss them I hope that they will remember me when I come home! Hey Brynnie send me pictures of Faythie birthday I want to see it I love getting your slideshows!!
Everything is going so good! We are working hard!! We are getting our little family prepared for baptism but the biggest hurdle right now is money. They don’t have enough money to pay for the wedding. We will help them out all that we can but we hardly don’t have money either! But I know that if we put all our faith in the lord he will provide for this little family! They have a desire and they want to change their lives and that is so amazing to me!! We also have another family that we have been teaching and they too want to get baptized and married so hopefully we will have two weddings and baptisms!! I sure hope so because I have seen such amazing changes in them!! I love seeing the atonement change peoples lives I love to see when they know what true repentance is and when they have a true earnest desire to change their heart and forsake their sins! That is what true repentance is. When you want to change your thoughts and actions and forsake the things that are causing sadness in our lives! I have seen miracles when someone uses the atonement and removes their burdens. It is literally seeing someone remove a burden or carga off their shoulders they seem lighter and freeier!
I have felt it as well in my life! Especially this last change and part of this change! I was having a hard time remember? But I know that it was because I wasn’t putting all my trust and faith in my Savior! I was more thinking about me and how I was feeling but not remembering to put all my faith in the Savior and not putting all my confidence in him!! But this week I have really put all my faith in Him! Their is always struggles but if we are humble we are happier! I was praying hard how I can change me as a person and a missionary and I had an amazing answer! I was looking through my papers for my mission and I glanced down and I saw the talk, Beware of pride, I think by Ezra Taft Benson and I read it and what amazing talk. What amazing counsel that we received through this talk. I know that is was my answer how to better change me as a person! I think that Beware of Pride will always be one of my favorite talks now because I know that I found it right after I prayed ,what do I need to change in my life how can I have a better relation with my Savior and I found my answer through that talk! I know it was an answer to my prayers! And how wonderful it feels when we ask for forgiveness and have the atonement change our lives and change our hearts!! I can’t describe the love that I have for the atonement. I can’t describe the love and the gratitude I have for my Savior and Redeemer!! It is through His grace that we are saved after all that we can do!! I have been reading the Book of Mormon in a blank Book of Mormon and I have been just marking when it talks about the atonement! And it is incredible! It truly testifies almost every page tells and testifies about the atonement!! I love the verse that says through the Grace the Lord we are saved after all that we can do! I love that verse because the atonement is there wafting for us to use it. To be clean and healed but we first must do our part and we must repent and we must always live the commandments and always endure to the end. That is when the true power of the atonement can bring us into the presence of our Heavenly Father without spots! I love the opportunity to change to become better! We all have weaknesses but like it says in Ether 12:27 that God will change our weaknesses into strengths if we are humble and have faith in Christ! It is so true!! I am thankful that my weaknesses can become strengths through the help of my Savior!
It is still pretty rainy here. For about 2 weeks it just rained and rained! The sun hardly didn’t come out and it was so cold. where I have to wear socks and have two covers over me!! Seriously I will die when I come home please bring me a jacket! LOL!! But today it rained a little but the sun was out and it felt so good shining on our faces!! They said that the rain should stop by the first of November and then they said that it will be sun shiny but have wind but the members said it is the best time of year because it is sunny but feels good because of the wind! I will truly miss Nicoya! I have been here for a long time now it feels like home! LOL!!
Well I love you all! Thank you for your love and support always!! You are all so amazing to me!! Thank you for your love!!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
10/18/2011
Familia!!!
Como Estan todos!?! Happy Birthday Faythie! I love you so much sweet baby lady!! I hope you had the best birthday ever!! You are so sweet and I miss you so so much!! I love you and I will see you very soon!!
It sounds like you had a very fun week end!! I am so sorry to hear about Lita! I didn’t know she was fighting with cancer! But what an honor, that they asked you dad, to do all those very special things at the funeral. That is a very special opportunity! I am glad that you both went and could with them through this hard time but what incredible knowledge that we have to know families will be together forever. Death is just a momentary separation! I am so blessed that we have that knowledge in our life!
Yesterday we went to San Jose because my companion and all the other new missionaries had a meeting with president Galvez. Then they have a big lunch for us! It was fun! But it is so weird to see, in the mission house, they have a big board with all the missionaries pictures and when they go home and my picture is at the top! It is so weird because I remember when I started my mission and my pictures was at the very bottom I remember saying to my self I will never ever get to the top. And look I am here and wishing I was at the bottom again! It is funny how that happens and how time is so fast before you know it Ethan and Ty and Tan the man will be off serving missions! And hopefully Faythie and Ciara too!! Because their is no experience like the mission!! I would never want to change what I Experienced here! I would go through it all again!!
It is raining here like crazy. The members said there is a hurricane over Guatemala which is causing all this rain! But for about a week straight just pure rain! Oh and San Jose is freezing. Well not freezing but because I have been in Nicoya for about 6 months now San Jose is so cold! I am going to die when I walk off the plane to Colorado! Mom you need to bring a jacket I think for me! LOL!!
This week has been good! Working hard getting our little family ready to be baptized. They have a meta for the 29 of octubre! I hope and pray they will!! It has been such an amazing experience with them. Learning and growing with them! I know that this will change their lives and they are people who have lots of dreams. The wife had a dream the other day where she was dressed all in white and she was going into a church she said but it was all white and she was going to get married in there but she didn’t know exactly where this building is! As she explained her dream it was as if she was describing the temple!! I feel like Joseph of Egypt who needs to interpret dreams lol!! But I love it because for some dreams is a way that our Heavenly Father can communicate with them! We had an amazing lesson with them the other night where we answered their doubts with the Book of Mormon! And after they read the verse I saw a light that came on and they said oh we see this is what we need to do. It is so incredible how the Book of Mormon has such power in our lives. Because when someone has a testimony in the Book of Mormon they have a testimony that Jesus is the Christ. That Joseph Smith was a true and living prophet who restored the Church of Christ in this latter-day! Our testimony is based on the Book of Mormon that is why it is the keystone of our religion! We have the evidence why our church is true in our hand and we can read it ever day! What a Marvelous gift it is to read this book and feel the spirit!! It is key for gaining a testimony!!
I am so glad that everything is going well with the Highlands Ranch house. I pray with all my heart that the loan will go through! I just know it will!!! So the house is almost done how exciting! A lot of years in the making right?!! But I am excited that my mom and dad will finally have their dream house. It will always be something special to them not because of the beauty or the size but that they got to work on it together! That they worked side by side to make their dreams come true! I love that!! Well thank you for all your love and support that you always give me!!
Oh mom will you please tell Alex Young that I love her so much!!!!! She is seriously one of the truest dearest friends. She sent me a package and sent me things that are meaningful to her and I and Leanna Davidson!! It made my whole entire day!! The office got it at the end of September but no one writes me hardly and only my mom sends me packages so I just stopped looking to see if I have mail! But yesterday I saw a few packages and I just was curious and I read Alex Young on the book and I was like weird. I have a best friend named Alex Young. Then underneath I read my name!! But seriously it was so thoughtful!! She sent me pictures of us in Jerusalem and one of her and her Boyfriend and please tell her she is so beautiful and he is very cute and that I miss her like crazy and I think about her a lot!! And that I need to see her when I get home!! Oh and tell her I have been craving Honey nut cheerios like crazy and peanut butter but they both are so expensive here that I couldn’t buy them! So thank you!!!!!
Well Have the Best week ever!! I love you all so so very much!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Como Estan todos!?! Happy Birthday Faythie! I love you so much sweet baby lady!! I hope you had the best birthday ever!! You are so sweet and I miss you so so much!! I love you and I will see you very soon!!
It sounds like you had a very fun week end!! I am so sorry to hear about Lita! I didn’t know she was fighting with cancer! But what an honor, that they asked you dad, to do all those very special things at the funeral. That is a very special opportunity! I am glad that you both went and could with them through this hard time but what incredible knowledge that we have to know families will be together forever. Death is just a momentary separation! I am so blessed that we have that knowledge in our life!
Yesterday we went to San Jose because my companion and all the other new missionaries had a meeting with president Galvez. Then they have a big lunch for us! It was fun! But it is so weird to see, in the mission house, they have a big board with all the missionaries pictures and when they go home and my picture is at the top! It is so weird because I remember when I started my mission and my pictures was at the very bottom I remember saying to my self I will never ever get to the top. And look I am here and wishing I was at the bottom again! It is funny how that happens and how time is so fast before you know it Ethan and Ty and Tan the man will be off serving missions! And hopefully Faythie and Ciara too!! Because their is no experience like the mission!! I would never want to change what I Experienced here! I would go through it all again!!
It is raining here like crazy. The members said there is a hurricane over Guatemala which is causing all this rain! But for about a week straight just pure rain! Oh and San Jose is freezing. Well not freezing but because I have been in Nicoya for about 6 months now San Jose is so cold! I am going to die when I walk off the plane to Colorado! Mom you need to bring a jacket I think for me! LOL!!
This week has been good! Working hard getting our little family ready to be baptized. They have a meta for the 29 of octubre! I hope and pray they will!! It has been such an amazing experience with them. Learning and growing with them! I know that this will change their lives and they are people who have lots of dreams. The wife had a dream the other day where she was dressed all in white and she was going into a church she said but it was all white and she was going to get married in there but she didn’t know exactly where this building is! As she explained her dream it was as if she was describing the temple!! I feel like Joseph of Egypt who needs to interpret dreams lol!! But I love it because for some dreams is a way that our Heavenly Father can communicate with them! We had an amazing lesson with them the other night where we answered their doubts with the Book of Mormon! And after they read the verse I saw a light that came on and they said oh we see this is what we need to do. It is so incredible how the Book of Mormon has such power in our lives. Because when someone has a testimony in the Book of Mormon they have a testimony that Jesus is the Christ. That Joseph Smith was a true and living prophet who restored the Church of Christ in this latter-day! Our testimony is based on the Book of Mormon that is why it is the keystone of our religion! We have the evidence why our church is true in our hand and we can read it ever day! What a Marvelous gift it is to read this book and feel the spirit!! It is key for gaining a testimony!!
I am so glad that everything is going well with the Highlands Ranch house. I pray with all my heart that the loan will go through! I just know it will!!! So the house is almost done how exciting! A lot of years in the making right?!! But I am excited that my mom and dad will finally have their dream house. It will always be something special to them not because of the beauty or the size but that they got to work on it together! That they worked side by side to make their dreams come true! I love that!! Well thank you for all your love and support that you always give me!!
Oh mom will you please tell Alex Young that I love her so much!!!!! She is seriously one of the truest dearest friends. She sent me a package and sent me things that are meaningful to her and I and Leanna Davidson!! It made my whole entire day!! The office got it at the end of September but no one writes me hardly and only my mom sends me packages so I just stopped looking to see if I have mail! But yesterday I saw a few packages and I just was curious and I read Alex Young on the book and I was like weird. I have a best friend named Alex Young. Then underneath I read my name!! But seriously it was so thoughtful!! She sent me pictures of us in Jerusalem and one of her and her Boyfriend and please tell her she is so beautiful and he is very cute and that I miss her like crazy and I think about her a lot!! And that I need to see her when I get home!! Oh and tell her I have been craving Honey nut cheerios like crazy and peanut butter but they both are so expensive here that I couldn’t buy them! So thank you!!!!!
Well Have the Best week ever!! I love you all so so very much!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Friday, October 7, 2011
10/3/2011
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAVE A HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BROTHER HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! Yo espero que usted tenga un cumpleanos muy especial manana! Usted es increible!!! Te quiero muchismo!!!! Gracias por su ejemplo de animo y amor por su salvador!!
Hola mi Familia!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Beautiful Ciara! You are 5 now! WOW! You are such a big girl!! I can’t wait to see you!
How is everyone doing? I know I just loved Conference also!! It spoke right to me too!!! I felt the love of my Heavenly Father and before I listened to conference I wrote down some questions that have been on my mind and guess what? Every single one of my questions were answered! I know that the prophet is so inspired to choose who will speak and I am so thankful that the speakers listen to the spirit as the are preparing their discourses! I am so thankful for the prophet. I know that he is a true a living prophet on the earth and that he is lead and guided by our Heavenly Father! I am so thankful for revelation!! Conference filled my soul and made me want to be better!! I remember when I was little I thought that conference was so so so long and I hardly couldn’t keep my eyes open but now I feel like it goes by so fast! And I just wish that it could last longer!! I am so thankful that we can listen to the prophet and the apostles every six months what an amazing opportunity that is!! I just can’t wait till November when the ensign will have the conference edition so that we can read all the talks again!! I watched it in English with another missionary. I have never listened to it in English before the whole time I have been here on my mission! It was so good to actually hear their voices!! LOL!!
We have been working hard! We have a cute little family that want to get baptized on the 15 of this month! The had a lot of struggles and problems in the past but the are reading the Book of Mormon and the are changing! It is so wonderful to see the gospel change people!! The Book of Mormon changes people!! I loved the talk about the Book of Mormon!! They were just so powerful and so so true!! The Book Of Mormon puts a stop to all false doctrines and helps people come to know the Savior in such a personal way! I have seen it change my investigators lives and also helped change my life! I have come to know my Savior through its pages!! I know this family is also coming to know of the infinite love that the Savior has for them! The other day we taught the plan of salvation and talking about how families can be together for ever because this plan is so incredible! And I know that the Spirit was there testifying that it is true!! So while we had a cita with this family we were talking about how are your animos for your baptism and they said yes we want to be baptized. Then they started telling us that some of their neighbors were talking bad and were saying to them, so you are going to be MORMONS and you are going to pray to Joseph Smith? Well the husband said Yes we are and we are not going to pray to Joseph Smith because they don’t pray to Joseph Smith they believe he was a prophet exactly like Moses or Noah. They believe in God and Jesus Christ! I just felt so good when he was testifying about that! I know that he didn’t realize that he was sharing his testimony but he was! I love this gospel because it changes people for the better! There is no better feeling when you feel the spirit and a family feels the spirit and their eyes open and their hearts are softened!
I have been reading a book called Our heritage. It is a history of the church and it is so wonderful! Today I read about the handcart companies! And I read of the testimonies people gave after the experience. One man said he overheard some people talking and they were saying how foolish President Brigham Young was to send hand cart companies across the plains with out anything! And this man stood up and testified you will never hear a person in those companies complain! We lost every thing! We went through things you hardly can imagine but through those time we came to know God and we had a closer relationship with him! We know that through those trails he was with us! When I read that testimony I was truly touched! I thought of my own life. What and am I giving to sacrifice for my Savior and my loving Heavenly Father!? Do I complain when I am in moments of difficulty or am I strong like my great great grandmother who crossed with those fearless saints! I want to be like Sarah Ann Norris. I know that she didn’t complain but she listed to a prophets call and followed her Heavenly father! I am so thankful for my ancestors and for their willingness to give up everything for God and they were valiant and patient and humble through all their trials! As I read those stories of the pioneers, I should never ever complain about my problems or difficulties because what are they in comparison to the pioneers? And more importantly what are my trials in comparison to my Saviors?! He never once complained but did His Fathers will!!! He never looked down but always looked up as Thomas S Monson said! I am forever grateful for the faithful and fearless pioneers that knew this gospel is true and were truly living disciples of Jesus Christ who took up their crosses and followed him through everything even unto death! I want to be like them. Braver, bolder and I want to have more faith like they had!!
I love you all. Thank you for your examples!! I am thankful for my ancestors. I feel very close to them and especially Sarah Ann Norris. I don’t know why but I have a very special relationship with her! I can’t wait to meet her and tell her thank you for everything that she did for me and for our family!! I am very touched by the sacrifice she made. I hope that one day I can be like her!! I am just so blessed that she held my grandpa before she passed away and that I could then hold my grandpa and feel close to her too!!
I know this church is true with every fiber of my being!! I love this gospel and I love my Savior more than words can possibly say!! I know He leads and guides this church through living prophets! How blessed we truly are!!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Hola mi Familia!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Beautiful Ciara! You are 5 now! WOW! You are such a big girl!! I can’t wait to see you!
How is everyone doing? I know I just loved Conference also!! It spoke right to me too!!! I felt the love of my Heavenly Father and before I listened to conference I wrote down some questions that have been on my mind and guess what? Every single one of my questions were answered! I know that the prophet is so inspired to choose who will speak and I am so thankful that the speakers listen to the spirit as the are preparing their discourses! I am so thankful for the prophet. I know that he is a true a living prophet on the earth and that he is lead and guided by our Heavenly Father! I am so thankful for revelation!! Conference filled my soul and made me want to be better!! I remember when I was little I thought that conference was so so so long and I hardly couldn’t keep my eyes open but now I feel like it goes by so fast! And I just wish that it could last longer!! I am so thankful that we can listen to the prophet and the apostles every six months what an amazing opportunity that is!! I just can’t wait till November when the ensign will have the conference edition so that we can read all the talks again!! I watched it in English with another missionary. I have never listened to it in English before the whole time I have been here on my mission! It was so good to actually hear their voices!! LOL!!
We have been working hard! We have a cute little family that want to get baptized on the 15 of this month! The had a lot of struggles and problems in the past but the are reading the Book of Mormon and the are changing! It is so wonderful to see the gospel change people!! The Book of Mormon changes people!! I loved the talk about the Book of Mormon!! They were just so powerful and so so true!! The Book Of Mormon puts a stop to all false doctrines and helps people come to know the Savior in such a personal way! I have seen it change my investigators lives and also helped change my life! I have come to know my Savior through its pages!! I know this family is also coming to know of the infinite love that the Savior has for them! The other day we taught the plan of salvation and talking about how families can be together for ever because this plan is so incredible! And I know that the Spirit was there testifying that it is true!! So while we had a cita with this family we were talking about how are your animos for your baptism and they said yes we want to be baptized. Then they started telling us that some of their neighbors were talking bad and were saying to them, so you are going to be MORMONS and you are going to pray to Joseph Smith? Well the husband said Yes we are and we are not going to pray to Joseph Smith because they don’t pray to Joseph Smith they believe he was a prophet exactly like Moses or Noah. They believe in God and Jesus Christ! I just felt so good when he was testifying about that! I know that he didn’t realize that he was sharing his testimony but he was! I love this gospel because it changes people for the better! There is no better feeling when you feel the spirit and a family feels the spirit and their eyes open and their hearts are softened!
I have been reading a book called Our heritage. It is a history of the church and it is so wonderful! Today I read about the handcart companies! And I read of the testimonies people gave after the experience. One man said he overheard some people talking and they were saying how foolish President Brigham Young was to send hand cart companies across the plains with out anything! And this man stood up and testified you will never hear a person in those companies complain! We lost every thing! We went through things you hardly can imagine but through those time we came to know God and we had a closer relationship with him! We know that through those trails he was with us! When I read that testimony I was truly touched! I thought of my own life. What and am I giving to sacrifice for my Savior and my loving Heavenly Father!? Do I complain when I am in moments of difficulty or am I strong like my great great grandmother who crossed with those fearless saints! I want to be like Sarah Ann Norris. I know that she didn’t complain but she listed to a prophets call and followed her Heavenly father! I am so thankful for my ancestors and for their willingness to give up everything for God and they were valiant and patient and humble through all their trials! As I read those stories of the pioneers, I should never ever complain about my problems or difficulties because what are they in comparison to the pioneers? And more importantly what are my trials in comparison to my Saviors?! He never once complained but did His Fathers will!!! He never looked down but always looked up as Thomas S Monson said! I am forever grateful for the faithful and fearless pioneers that knew this gospel is true and were truly living disciples of Jesus Christ who took up their crosses and followed him through everything even unto death! I want to be like them. Braver, bolder and I want to have more faith like they had!!
I love you all. Thank you for your examples!! I am thankful for my ancestors. I feel very close to them and especially Sarah Ann Norris. I don’t know why but I have a very special relationship with her! I can’t wait to meet her and tell her thank you for everything that she did for me and for our family!! I am very touched by the sacrifice she made. I hope that one day I can be like her!! I am just so blessed that she held my grandpa before she passed away and that I could then hold my grandpa and feel close to her too!!
I know this church is true with every fiber of my being!! I love this gospel and I love my Savior more than words can possibly say!! I know He leads and guides this church through living prophets! How blessed we truly are!!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
9/26/2011
Oh my most wonderful family!!!
I am in awe of how truly blessed I am to have a family like you!! Your Letters this week were so incredibly wonderful. I feel of your love and I feel my Saviors love as well for me!! What you said is so very true! I have been hurting deeply and feeling lonely and feeling helpless. But truly I am feeling much better with more faith and with a positive attitude!
This last month I don’t know what it was but I just felt that I couldn’t hardly Breathe! I felt sad and I felt like I had no clue what I was doing and that my Spanish was horrible like I was just starting my mission! Because one member said, I am not going to lie your Spanish isn’t very good, and it hurt so bad! Because no one ever has said that before. Everyone says that my Spanish is good. I know its not perfect but it is good and I can communicate and I can understand. So I don’t know why he said that, but it truly did shake my confidence as a missionary and as a person. And just other things that I have went through this month. I just felt like I didn’t have any confidence in myself at all!
So one day we were studying and I was just hurting so deeply and all I could do was cry so I got up from my desk and I went to my room and I just cried like a baby and I prayed to my loving loving Heavenly Father and I talked to him. I told him everything! Everything that I am feeling and that I have been going through. And He was listening because I felt Him there. I felt a peace that came over me that I couldn’t remember my sadness anymore! I heard in my heart that si se puede or yes you can do it! That your Spanish is not horrible.That you are a good missionary and that He loves me!! I felt his loving arms around me and Him helping me in that moment! That I need to always humble myself before Him! Because I am nothing without Him!
Then I read something from Elder Richard G Scott that said;
"Trust in the Lord. Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trails are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels that you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion, which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and generally entails discomfort and pain!"
Wow huh? It was Heavenly Father telling me that I was ready to learn more! To change my heart into someone that He wants! It hurt but in those moments of pain and sadness I have felt the Atonement working in my life. I know that it is real with every fiber of my being! I know that it helps us get to where Heavenly Father wants us to be! It helps us learn what is true charity and what true patience is! I am so thankful for this experience in my mission. Truly I am because I know that I am learning and growing and I am learning that I can’t do anything without the help of my Savior and Redeemer!! I truly can feel of the infinite love He has for me!! I know that night in the Garden of Gethsemane He suffered pains and afflictions that I can’t even imagine but he did because He loves us! I know that night He saw me my face and all my trials, afflictions and sins that I would pass through in my life. But He loved me and He suffered for me!! What an amazing experience that I have to wear my beloved Saviors name on my chest over my heart to represent Him! These last 17 month He has been with me and I will never be able to repay Him for everything that He has done for me! This week I was thinking of all the blessings that I have in my life and all the experiences that I have had. I am in awe and so humbled and amazed at the love He has for me!! I truly feel like the hymn says: I stand all amazed and the love Jesus offers me confused at the grace that so fully he offers, I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, that for me a sinner, he suffered he bleed and died! I want you all to know that I know without a shadow of a doubt that my Savior lives and that he loves us! I know that this is his gospel and it is perfect! I am thankful for trials in our lives so that we can better come to know our Savior and his love for us!! I am so eternally grateful for this opportunity in my life to serve a mission what an amazing experience this has been. It has been hard but the best thing that I could and can do in my life! I know that it is changing me as a person into something better!!
Thank you for you words. They were exactly what I needed to hear!! I know that I have worked hard and I know that my successes was not because of me it was because of my Savior and Redeemer and I will work with all my mind might and strength for these last 7 weeks of my mission!! So I can say I had no regrets!! I love you! Thanks for listening to the Spirit and writing those incredible words that has strengthen me so much. I am going to print them out so I can read them for always!!
I love you!!
Love always and forever Hermana Turnbaugh
I am in awe of how truly blessed I am to have a family like you!! Your Letters this week were so incredibly wonderful. I feel of your love and I feel my Saviors love as well for me!! What you said is so very true! I have been hurting deeply and feeling lonely and feeling helpless. But truly I am feeling much better with more faith and with a positive attitude!
This last month I don’t know what it was but I just felt that I couldn’t hardly Breathe! I felt sad and I felt like I had no clue what I was doing and that my Spanish was horrible like I was just starting my mission! Because one member said, I am not going to lie your Spanish isn’t very good, and it hurt so bad! Because no one ever has said that before. Everyone says that my Spanish is good. I know its not perfect but it is good and I can communicate and I can understand. So I don’t know why he said that, but it truly did shake my confidence as a missionary and as a person. And just other things that I have went through this month. I just felt like I didn’t have any confidence in myself at all!
So one day we were studying and I was just hurting so deeply and all I could do was cry so I got up from my desk and I went to my room and I just cried like a baby and I prayed to my loving loving Heavenly Father and I talked to him. I told him everything! Everything that I am feeling and that I have been going through. And He was listening because I felt Him there. I felt a peace that came over me that I couldn’t remember my sadness anymore! I heard in my heart that si se puede or yes you can do it! That your Spanish is not horrible.That you are a good missionary and that He loves me!! I felt his loving arms around me and Him helping me in that moment! That I need to always humble myself before Him! Because I am nothing without Him!
Then I read something from Elder Richard G Scott that said;
"Trust in the Lord. Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trails are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels that you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion, which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and generally entails discomfort and pain!"
Wow huh? It was Heavenly Father telling me that I was ready to learn more! To change my heart into someone that He wants! It hurt but in those moments of pain and sadness I have felt the Atonement working in my life. I know that it is real with every fiber of my being! I know that it helps us get to where Heavenly Father wants us to be! It helps us learn what is true charity and what true patience is! I am so thankful for this experience in my mission. Truly I am because I know that I am learning and growing and I am learning that I can’t do anything without the help of my Savior and Redeemer!! I truly can feel of the infinite love He has for me!! I know that night in the Garden of Gethsemane He suffered pains and afflictions that I can’t even imagine but he did because He loves us! I know that night He saw me my face and all my trials, afflictions and sins that I would pass through in my life. But He loved me and He suffered for me!! What an amazing experience that I have to wear my beloved Saviors name on my chest over my heart to represent Him! These last 17 month He has been with me and I will never be able to repay Him for everything that He has done for me! This week I was thinking of all the blessings that I have in my life and all the experiences that I have had. I am in awe and so humbled and amazed at the love He has for me!! I truly feel like the hymn says: I stand all amazed and the love Jesus offers me confused at the grace that so fully he offers, I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, that for me a sinner, he suffered he bleed and died! I want you all to know that I know without a shadow of a doubt that my Savior lives and that he loves us! I know that this is his gospel and it is perfect! I am thankful for trials in our lives so that we can better come to know our Savior and his love for us!! I am so eternally grateful for this opportunity in my life to serve a mission what an amazing experience this has been. It has been hard but the best thing that I could and can do in my life! I know that it is changing me as a person into something better!!
Thank you for you words. They were exactly what I needed to hear!! I know that I have worked hard and I know that my successes was not because of me it was because of my Savior and Redeemer and I will work with all my mind might and strength for these last 7 weeks of my mission!! So I can say I had no regrets!! I love you! Thanks for listening to the Spirit and writing those incredible words that has strengthen me so much. I am going to print them out so I can read them for always!!
I love you!!
Love always and forever Hermana Turnbaugh
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
9/12/2011
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY SETH!!!! I hope you had the best day ever!! I am so glad to be your sister!!! Thank you for loving and taking such good care of my sister!! I know you are a wonderful husband and father and the Lord is blessing your little family so much!! I love you thank you for all you do!!! Happy Birthday SET(In spanish!) LOL!!!
Oh my most wonderful parents. How amazing is it that you have been married 34 years! That is such a wonderful blessing!! I know you love each other so much!! I know that you love our family more than anything else! We have been so blessed as a family and it all started when 2 people fell in love! I am so blessed to have you as my parents! I am so thankful that you have always put Heavenly Father first in your lives. You both are so amazing. I am so blessed to be part of this family!! Congratulations on 34 years of love and happiness!
Hola Mi familia!!
How is everyone doing!?! It sounds like everyone is doing so well!! I am so happy about that!! How fun that you went to Le Mis!! I love that musical so much!! But who watched the Kids!?! LOL!! How fun! I love that we do such fun things as a family!! We are so truly blessed to be such a close family that is exactly what God wants. A family with unity and love!
Oh I am so hoping to hear that some one put an offer on the house. I pray everyday that it will sell! I know it will soon!!! That house has a lot of beautiful memories and that is why God is waiting to send a wonderful family who can appreciate the love that the house has!!
This week has been a week of learning and growing! It has been hard and I have spent many nights reading and praying of what I should do and how I can find peace? I never thought I could be tried so much but I know that God knows why and I will look back on this time and know that it was to help me to be a stronger person.. This week I have been brought down pretty low but I know that through trials and afflictions it is to better help us to come to know the Atonement and better come to know of the grand love God has for us!! I know that Prayer is real and I know God hears our prayers! I know that if we put our faith and trust in our Savior we can overcome whatever trial that we might be facing in our lives!!
But we are working hard and we are finding new families to teach! We found a cute little family the other day! They are a couple who is married and the wife said after our lesson “what do I have to do to get baptized? That sentence is what every missionary wants to hear!! I know that she will progress and she said her family is the most important thing to her and we told her how families can be together forever!! I know that family can be together forever. But first have faith and then exercise their faith and be baptized. Because baptism is the first door in the kingdom of God but if they want to pass through the door they must enter in the temple and become a favored family through the sacred priesthood power!
I love this gospel with all my heart I know we go through things to better help us understand the Atonement and to come closer to our Savior and Redeemer! I love the scriptures and the words of the living prophets they help me to find the answers I need from my Heavenly Father!!
I love you all so much. Thank you for your love and prayers!!
Always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Oh my most wonderful parents. How amazing is it that you have been married 34 years! That is such a wonderful blessing!! I know you love each other so much!! I know that you love our family more than anything else! We have been so blessed as a family and it all started when 2 people fell in love! I am so blessed to have you as my parents! I am so thankful that you have always put Heavenly Father first in your lives. You both are so amazing. I am so blessed to be part of this family!! Congratulations on 34 years of love and happiness!
Hola Mi familia!!
How is everyone doing!?! It sounds like everyone is doing so well!! I am so happy about that!! How fun that you went to Le Mis!! I love that musical so much!! But who watched the Kids!?! LOL!! How fun! I love that we do such fun things as a family!! We are so truly blessed to be such a close family that is exactly what God wants. A family with unity and love!
Oh I am so hoping to hear that some one put an offer on the house. I pray everyday that it will sell! I know it will soon!!! That house has a lot of beautiful memories and that is why God is waiting to send a wonderful family who can appreciate the love that the house has!!
This week has been a week of learning and growing! It has been hard and I have spent many nights reading and praying of what I should do and how I can find peace? I never thought I could be tried so much but I know that God knows why and I will look back on this time and know that it was to help me to be a stronger person.. This week I have been brought down pretty low but I know that through trials and afflictions it is to better help us to come to know the Atonement and better come to know of the grand love God has for us!! I know that Prayer is real and I know God hears our prayers! I know that if we put our faith and trust in our Savior we can overcome whatever trial that we might be facing in our lives!!
But we are working hard and we are finding new families to teach! We found a cute little family the other day! They are a couple who is married and the wife said after our lesson “what do I have to do to get baptized? That sentence is what every missionary wants to hear!! I know that she will progress and she said her family is the most important thing to her and we told her how families can be together forever!! I know that family can be together forever. But first have faith and then exercise their faith and be baptized. Because baptism is the first door in the kingdom of God but if they want to pass through the door they must enter in the temple and become a favored family through the sacred priesthood power!
I love this gospel with all my heart I know we go through things to better help us understand the Atonement and to come closer to our Savior and Redeemer! I love the scriptures and the words of the living prophets they help me to find the answers I need from my Heavenly Father!!
I love you all so much. Thank you for your love and prayers!!
Always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
9/5/2011 & Pictures
How is everyone this week? It sounds like everyone is doing so good!! Oh how sad that Baby Tru was sick! He is better now right? Where did Crystal and Seth go on their Cruise again? How fun for them! I know I love watching their kids too when I have to put them to bed it is so fun to read the Book of Mormon with them and have a group hug! That is so wonderful they are starting those traditions. Those kids will never forget that ever! It is so good to start those kinds of traditions in our homes that our kids will grow up strong and know who they are and that the things of the Lord is important! So I am so glad everyone is happy and Healthy!!!
But yes, everyone is very glad that I will be staying here in Nicoya! I am glad to I know that I have not finished my work in this area. I have so much more to do before I can go home so I need to work hard and run as fast as I can for the final stretch!
So for my birthday we didn’t get to do to much. We had citas far away so when we finally got back to Nicoya it was 8:30 ish so we just went to our Cocinera and she had a cake for me that we had to eat real fast so that we could be back in the house at 9 pm! But it was fun and very sweet that they had a cake there for me! But on Sunday two families wanted to make lunch and dinner for my birthday which was very special!! So it was a great birthday!! But no eggs on my head this year!!
My companion is great! She doesn’t have any fear to talk to people which is a big help to me! So we are working like crazy and trying to find more people to teach! We dont have to many people but we are working really hard to find more. We had a very cool and spiritual experience the other day!! So we had a couple of citas but all of them fell through! So I told my companion we need to pray. We need help in finding people because we can’t do it alone! So we went back to our house and my companion offered a prayer! But before the prayer I told my companion that I am going to write the names of the neighborhoods on pieces of paper. I know you dont know where they are but I know God will speak to us both. So she prayed and after she looked at a card which the barrio is kind of far away. She said I feel like we need to go there so we did! And as we started walking we saw a young mother with her baby and she was walking in the direction we were heading! So I started to talk to her and little did we know that the missionaries were visiting her neighbor before and she was always curious to know who those missionaries were. So she said yes come to my house I want to learn more! So we found a cute little family! The husband is evangelico and the wife is catholic and she said that isn’t right. We need to find the church of Christ so that we can have a family more united! So we shared how they can have that in their lives! It was a very special experience because I know that we can’t do anything in this work with out asking our Heavenly Father where we should go? We can work on our own but it is like we are running in sand and we won’t be able to get anywhere! With his help and his guidance He will lead us to those waiting for this Gospel because he knows who is ready and who isn’t! I have such a strong testimony in prayer!! I love Prayer and the time that I can talk to my Heavenly Father and receive guidance from Him!! I know that the Lord is guiding us in our work here and when we are humble and we let him guide us we will find success but if we try to do this on our own we will be just going in circles!! I know that my Heavenly Father loves me! I love Him and I know this is His work and when we work with Him in His work we will be happy and find success!
I love you all! Thank you for all your love and support! I love this Gospel. I know it is true with every fiber of my being no matter what anyone says. It is true! Because I have prayed to a loving Heavenly Father who has answered my prays and continues to answer my prayers!
I love you all!!
Love always and Forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Saturday, September 3, 2011
9/1/2011
Oh mi Hermosa Familia!!!
Thank you so very much! To get your birthday wishes today on my birthday it makes my birthday even that much more special!! THANK YOU SO SO SO SO MUCH mom for my birthday package it was so cute. I love the clothes that you sent. I am wearing them today!!! I got my package yesterday during changes so it was very special! Thank you for everything you all are so thoughtful!! And there was things that I needed so badly like for my eyebrows so you are very in tuned to my needs mom!! Thank you once again it made my whole day so special!! You are the best family ever to think of me on my 23rd birthday!!! Today my cocinera, she is going to make a cake for me and have a little party tonight and then on Sunday a family invited us over to have dinner and a party with them because their son also has a birthday this month but on the 4th! So it will be very fun and special!!
How fun to be with kisses kids. It sounds like you are having a blast!! I bet Ethan and Ciara are just loving to spend time with you both!! I want to spend time with you both and I will even run a mile and a half with you dad!! LOL!! I think that is so special that you ran with Ethan trust me he will never forget that!! So special!!
So you are probably all dieing to see what happened during cambios (Drum Roll Please)
......................................................................................................................................... My companion had changes and I am here in Nicoya and I am here till I finish my mission because I am TRAINING AGAIN!!!!!!! You have another nieta!!! Your 3rd granddaughter can you believe that!!! So I will be with my companion for 12 weeks until I finish my mission!! I am so excited to be here and to be with Hermana Trejo, she is from Mexico!! She is really awesome! She is fun and really outgoing so that is awesome!!! I can’t believe I am training again!!! When I saw my picture with hers and President announced congrats your a trainer again I couldn’t believe it!! And then Hermana Galvez gave me a hug and said how special it is to train 3 times not that many sisters do! I feel very blessed that God has confidence in me to train again especially my last changes as a missionary! I know that we will find success! I feel really good about my companion she is fun!! She is exactly what this area needs! Last night when we arrived to Nicoya we went to visit our cocinera and she said how much fun to have to sister missionaries that are both so happy and outgoing! So I am excited to work with her!!
We are going to work really hard to find success in this last 12 weeks of my mission I promised myself and my Heavenly Father that we will baptize a family my last change and I know that with the help of my dear Heavenly Father I will be able to accomplish this goal!
I love this work so much! The work is so much like a roller coaster a lot of ups and a lot of downs but I know trials and difficulties are for us to learn and to grow. I know that all my companions were with me for a reason and that I have learned from them and I am a better person because of them!! I know that I have a special purpose here in this area! That I need to find someone here! That is why Heavenly Father is allowing me to be here for another 12 weeks!! I am in awe that my Heavenly Father always has so much faith in me even when I doubt. He is there always cheering me on and telling me I can do it!! I love Him so much!! I feel Him so close to me when I pray!! I know that He is leading and guiding my life in the direction that I need to go!! I love you all! Thank you for loving me so much!!
Have the best week ever! I will write more next week!! Thank you once again for all the birthday wishes!! It made my day so special as if I was actually there with you!! But this birthday was so much easier than the last. I remember I was a pretty sad little girl last year and missing my family like crazy! But you grow and you learn and know I am just so blessed that I can spend my birthday here in this beautiful country that I love so much! I love Costa Rica as if it is my home!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Thank you so very much! To get your birthday wishes today on my birthday it makes my birthday even that much more special!! THANK YOU SO SO SO SO MUCH mom for my birthday package it was so cute. I love the clothes that you sent. I am wearing them today!!! I got my package yesterday during changes so it was very special! Thank you for everything you all are so thoughtful!! And there was things that I needed so badly like for my eyebrows so you are very in tuned to my needs mom!! Thank you once again it made my whole day so special!! You are the best family ever to think of me on my 23rd birthday!!! Today my cocinera, she is going to make a cake for me and have a little party tonight and then on Sunday a family invited us over to have dinner and a party with them because their son also has a birthday this month but on the 4th! So it will be very fun and special!!
How fun to be with kisses kids. It sounds like you are having a blast!! I bet Ethan and Ciara are just loving to spend time with you both!! I want to spend time with you both and I will even run a mile and a half with you dad!! LOL!! I think that is so special that you ran with Ethan trust me he will never forget that!! So special!!
So you are probably all dieing to see what happened during cambios (Drum Roll Please)
......................................................................................................................................... My companion had changes and I am here in Nicoya and I am here till I finish my mission because I am TRAINING AGAIN!!!!!!! You have another nieta!!! Your 3rd granddaughter can you believe that!!! So I will be with my companion for 12 weeks until I finish my mission!! I am so excited to be here and to be with Hermana Trejo, she is from Mexico!! She is really awesome! She is fun and really outgoing so that is awesome!!! I can’t believe I am training again!!! When I saw my picture with hers and President announced congrats your a trainer again I couldn’t believe it!! And then Hermana Galvez gave me a hug and said how special it is to train 3 times not that many sisters do! I feel very blessed that God has confidence in me to train again especially my last changes as a missionary! I know that we will find success! I feel really good about my companion she is fun!! She is exactly what this area needs! Last night when we arrived to Nicoya we went to visit our cocinera and she said how much fun to have to sister missionaries that are both so happy and outgoing! So I am excited to work with her!!
We are going to work really hard to find success in this last 12 weeks of my mission I promised myself and my Heavenly Father that we will baptize a family my last change and I know that with the help of my dear Heavenly Father I will be able to accomplish this goal!
I love this work so much! The work is so much like a roller coaster a lot of ups and a lot of downs but I know trials and difficulties are for us to learn and to grow. I know that all my companions were with me for a reason and that I have learned from them and I am a better person because of them!! I know that I have a special purpose here in this area! That I need to find someone here! That is why Heavenly Father is allowing me to be here for another 12 weeks!! I am in awe that my Heavenly Father always has so much faith in me even when I doubt. He is there always cheering me on and telling me I can do it!! I love Him so much!! I feel Him so close to me when I pray!! I know that He is leading and guiding my life in the direction that I need to go!! I love you all! Thank you for loving me so much!!
Have the best week ever! I will write more next week!! Thank you once again for all the birthday wishes!! It made my day so special as if I was actually there with you!! But this birthday was so much easier than the last. I remember I was a pretty sad little girl last year and missing my family like crazy! But you grow and you learn and know I am just so blessed that I can spend my birthday here in this beautiful country that I love so much! I love Costa Rica as if it is my home!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
8/24/2011
Hola Mi Hermosa Familia!!!
How is everyone this week!?! It sounds like you have been having so so much fun!!! How fun that Laren and Lindsey came to visit I miss them, I miss all of you so so much!!! Oh Brynnie thank you for sharing that cute photo album of Tys birthday! Your kids are so big and oh my word that little TRU is so soooooo cute he just makes me smile. I can’t wait to hold him and Baby Bella how fun!!!! Did Faythie cut her own hair? How exciting that mom and dad will be watching Kiss and Seth’s kids for a couple of days!! I know the kids will just love it!!
Oh Kiss and Seth thank you so much for the birthday card and money!! You both are just so thoughtful!! I bought a umbrella with your money because for the last month I have been soaking wet!! So thank you! It helped me out so much!! Oh and I pretty much just died laughing at what your little primary kids said!! So cute but my favorite was when one little kid said “Do you like Costa Rica? do they have church!?”! LOL!! Oh and the other one little girl said hi my name is Maddy I like monkeys! And they were all so cute right so thank you that made my entire day!!! Because I don’t get a lot of letters in the mail so it was special to get one for you guys!! Oh and oh my word baby Bella is beautiful and she has BROWN eyes wow!! She looks a lot like Seth. How fun to have a brown eyed beauty in your family!!! Oh I can’t wait to see them and hold them!!
So our week has been hard but good because I am learning so much!! I know that right now in my mission Heavenly Father wants me to learn patience and humility! He is trying to see if that through trails we will give up or we will keep going and working hard! I know that everything happens for a reason! And maybe right now we don’t have a lot of investigators but the Lord is preparing us to teach his children that are chosen and ready! We might need to teach a lot of people until we can find the chosen that the Lord is preparing! I know that my testimony is what will make the difference! I feel like my setting a part blessing is coming true in this week! Because in my blessing when President Polson set me apart he said that people can dispute doctrine but they can never deny your testimony and share your testimony with those that contradict the doctrine and bear strong testimony in the Book of Mormon! I have done that so much this week. Well for the past little while where people have been more than ever disputing the doctrines of Jesus Christ but we can show them scriptures but they don’t understand and in those moments is when my companion and I need to testify, to bear powerful testimonies! I know that the people we have talked to will remember our testimony and remember the spirit that they have felt as we bore our testimonies!! But I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have that no matter what other people might say or think I know that this church is true! That Christ is perfect! That the plan that God has made is perfect and it helps us to return to him!! I am so blessed to have my testimony and that I can share it everyday!!
Yes next week we have changes but I don’t know who has changes, me or my companion! I won’t know until Saturday night or Sunday! But I feel like I will finish my mission here in this area! The members don’t want me to leave. They say they are going to call President or lock me in their house so I can’t leave!! I would feel good about staying here because after this cambio I just have one more left. Just 12 more weeks can you believe that? I can’t the time so flies by!! It is so true what Laren said when he was about to finish his mission that the mission is like driving in your car for a long time and when you realized where you are, you are in the place where you were driving to! It is like the mission. It is true looking back I am like where did the time go! Didn’t I just start my mission? Sometimes I feel that way! LOL!! But I am so so so so glad I made this decision to serve a mission!! Like Adam my cousin said, You will never regret going on a mission but you might regret not going! How true that is!! I am so glad that I am here that I am having this amazing experience!! I am changing and can become better!! I love that!! I am so blessed to everyday wear my Saviors name on my chest and represent Him! I love Him! I know this is His work!! I am so thankful for his Atonement! I can feel it in my life everyday!!!
So here in Nicoya yes it is hot but it also rains so so much right now because it is the rainy season but it is super hot during the morning but in the afternoon it rains and when I say rains it pours. I have never seen it rain so hard! and with lightening that just lights up the sky one right after another!! It is cool but sometimes I am a little scared lol!! But I love the weather here though I like the hot now!!!
Oh mom to answer the question of what house I would like to come home to is I would like to come to the new house but it really don’t matter if you are in the old house both are great!! And the ward? I know a lot of people in Kiss’s ward too, so it doesn’t matter to me either way. I will just be happy to be with my family again!!
Well I love you all!! I will pray so hard this week that the house will sell! I know it will!!! Have a fun time Seth and Crystal be safe!! Oh and I won’t be able to write until Wednesday! I love you all so much!!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
How is everyone this week!?! It sounds like you have been having so so much fun!!! How fun that Laren and Lindsey came to visit I miss them, I miss all of you so so much!!! Oh Brynnie thank you for sharing that cute photo album of Tys birthday! Your kids are so big and oh my word that little TRU is so soooooo cute he just makes me smile. I can’t wait to hold him and Baby Bella how fun!!!! Did Faythie cut her own hair? How exciting that mom and dad will be watching Kiss and Seth’s kids for a couple of days!! I know the kids will just love it!!
Oh Kiss and Seth thank you so much for the birthday card and money!! You both are just so thoughtful!! I bought a umbrella with your money because for the last month I have been soaking wet!! So thank you! It helped me out so much!! Oh and I pretty much just died laughing at what your little primary kids said!! So cute but my favorite was when one little kid said “Do you like Costa Rica? do they have church!?”! LOL!! Oh and the other one little girl said hi my name is Maddy I like monkeys! And they were all so cute right so thank you that made my entire day!!! Because I don’t get a lot of letters in the mail so it was special to get one for you guys!! Oh and oh my word baby Bella is beautiful and she has BROWN eyes wow!! She looks a lot like Seth. How fun to have a brown eyed beauty in your family!!! Oh I can’t wait to see them and hold them!!
So our week has been hard but good because I am learning so much!! I know that right now in my mission Heavenly Father wants me to learn patience and humility! He is trying to see if that through trails we will give up or we will keep going and working hard! I know that everything happens for a reason! And maybe right now we don’t have a lot of investigators but the Lord is preparing us to teach his children that are chosen and ready! We might need to teach a lot of people until we can find the chosen that the Lord is preparing! I know that my testimony is what will make the difference! I feel like my setting a part blessing is coming true in this week! Because in my blessing when President Polson set me apart he said that people can dispute doctrine but they can never deny your testimony and share your testimony with those that contradict the doctrine and bear strong testimony in the Book of Mormon! I have done that so much this week. Well for the past little while where people have been more than ever disputing the doctrines of Jesus Christ but we can show them scriptures but they don’t understand and in those moments is when my companion and I need to testify, to bear powerful testimonies! I know that the people we have talked to will remember our testimony and remember the spirit that they have felt as we bore our testimonies!! But I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have that no matter what other people might say or think I know that this church is true! That Christ is perfect! That the plan that God has made is perfect and it helps us to return to him!! I am so blessed to have my testimony and that I can share it everyday!!
Yes next week we have changes but I don’t know who has changes, me or my companion! I won’t know until Saturday night or Sunday! But I feel like I will finish my mission here in this area! The members don’t want me to leave. They say they are going to call President or lock me in their house so I can’t leave!! I would feel good about staying here because after this cambio I just have one more left. Just 12 more weeks can you believe that? I can’t the time so flies by!! It is so true what Laren said when he was about to finish his mission that the mission is like driving in your car for a long time and when you realized where you are, you are in the place where you were driving to! It is like the mission. It is true looking back I am like where did the time go! Didn’t I just start my mission? Sometimes I feel that way! LOL!! But I am so so so so glad I made this decision to serve a mission!! Like Adam my cousin said, You will never regret going on a mission but you might regret not going! How true that is!! I am so glad that I am here that I am having this amazing experience!! I am changing and can become better!! I love that!! I am so blessed to everyday wear my Saviors name on my chest and represent Him! I love Him! I know this is His work!! I am so thankful for his Atonement! I can feel it in my life everyday!!!
So here in Nicoya yes it is hot but it also rains so so much right now because it is the rainy season but it is super hot during the morning but in the afternoon it rains and when I say rains it pours. I have never seen it rain so hard! and with lightening that just lights up the sky one right after another!! It is cool but sometimes I am a little scared lol!! But I love the weather here though I like the hot now!!!
Oh mom to answer the question of what house I would like to come home to is I would like to come to the new house but it really don’t matter if you are in the old house both are great!! And the ward? I know a lot of people in Kiss’s ward too, so it doesn’t matter to me either way. I will just be happy to be with my family again!!
Well I love you all!! I will pray so hard this week that the house will sell! I know it will!!! Have a fun time Seth and Crystal be safe!! Oh and I won’t be able to write until Wednesday! I love you all so much!!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
8/15/2011
Hola Mi Querida Familia!
Happy Happy Birthday Tytan dear happy days will come to you all year If I had a wish then it would be a happy Happy Birthday to you from me!!! Oh Ty I love you so so much!! I hope you had the very best birthday!!! How exciting you are 7 years old Tytan Neil!! And next year you will be eight and you will be baptized!!! Whoop whoop!! Well Ty I love you and I am so blessed to have you in my life!!! Happy Birthday Buddy!!!
How is my most wonderful family doing!?! How exciting that Laren and Lindsey will be coming to visit! Hopefully they will come back when I get home hopefully they can make two trips! I want to see them when I get home! How fun that we have had so many birthdays this month Baby Bella and Tytan! So fun these next few months have a lot of birthdays and special things that will happen! What a fun time in our family right now!!
Wow! 16 showings. I sure hope and pray that someone buys the house. I pray everyday that it will happen and I know it will!!
This week has been good! We are working so very hard. Lots of ups and a lots of downs! We have had very special experiences this week and experiences that are a little tough but Heavenly Father knows best! So I will tell you a very special experience that happened! So with our cute little family that just got baptized last Monday we had a family home evening with them! And they shared with us an experience that they had on Sunday! So on Saturday we went to get them all ready for church and their son said I am not going to go to church and we asked why? and he said because I don’t want to! It was weird because he is always so excited to go to church and he got silent and was looking down at the floor! So I looked at the mom and she said that he doesn’t have shoes to go to church in. His shoe has a big hole and he has shame to walk to church and to go to church with his shoes like that! ( This family is so poor they don’t have money to buy new shoes!) Well I testified that if they all went to church God would provide for their needs! But I said if we keep the commandments God will bless us so they said they will go to church but Jose the son was still a little hesitant about going! So we left and the next day was Sunday and bright and early they were in the church and Jose was there also but a little shame to show that he was wearing those shoes! But we had our classes and then they left after church to walk back to their house. But as they were walking a member in their car saw them and saw the great big hole in Jose’s shoe so he said get in and I will take you home but without saying anything this member pulled over at a shoe store and went in and bought brand new ecco shoes for him which is about 36 dollar shoes and just gave it to him! I know that the Lord works through people to bless his children. This member who bought the shoes didn’t have to do it but I know that the Lord touched his heart! It was very special to them because they couldn’t have bought new shoes for their son! So after they told me this story I said see look that the Lord blesses us when we do the right thing when we put him first He will bless us!! It was a very special experience because they were really touched that someone would have that much charity to buy shoes for them and it was very special for us because we know that the Lord is blessing them because they want to do the right things!
But also there are times where Satan works very hard against us too! So we found a very cute little family that had a lot of questions of the soul? Like where did we live before this earth and what is going to happen after this world? So we taught them about the plan of salvation! And it was like a light turned on! They both was like yes! that makes sense. It was a very special experience that we had with them and we talked about baptism and put a goal with them as well! They have been going to another church for only 4 months and the pastor there also said they need to be baptized and married but we explained about the Authority and the husband said yes exactly! no what ever person can baptize another person! And they told us this pastor said that maybe in 15 days they could be baptized and married maybe but they would have to wait a little! So we invited them to church and they said yes we will! Come pass by for us at 8 30 so we did and when we got there the wife came out and she wasn’t ready and in her eyes something changed. She said we can’t come today because our preacher called and he said we are going to be married today at 12! My mouth dropped and I just knew that she must have told him we had talked to her. So this preacher said he found a preacher and he will pay for everything! I know that Satan works hard too and he knew this family was very special! And that their questions of their souls was being answered. So the morning that they were going to come to the Church of Jesus Christ he made him call them! But like that saying, Jesus said it wasn’t going to be easy but he said it would be worth it! Even though there are moments of heart ache I cannot describe the joy that I feel when a family accepts the gospel! It so worth the feelings of pain! I am so thankful for moments of trails in my life because I come to realize more fully what the Atonement is and the infinite love the my Savior has for me and for my investigators!!
I have also had other experience this week where I had to stand up for what I believe and for what I testify about everyday! With people who knows the bible, who in my face said that the book of Mormon is not true and that they would only read it if I could prove that the Book of Mormon is historically, scientifically, prophetically correct. If I could then they would read it! But I testified with my whole heart that the Book of Mormon is true! That it is another testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ that is puts a stop to the false doctrines that cloud the world today! I know that this is the true and living church! That Christ is at the head of this church!! I know that my Savior lives that He died for me and that I can through his infinite Atonement I can be like Him and that I can return to my loving Heavenly Father again!! People can deny the Book of Mormon. They can show me scriptures in the bible that prove it wrong or so they say. But the thing that I can never ever deny is the sweet and scared voice that testifies in my heart telling me that the Book of Mormon is true! That Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God! That he truly saw God the Father and Jesus Christ and they talked to him! And that he had courage to follow what they said! Through one simple young mans prayer changed the world forever!! I know that we have a living Prophet that receives revelation for us! I know that God loves us with a love we can’t explain!! I know this Gospel is true and it is perfect because Christ is perfect!
I am so blessed that I can testify about this glorias message with everyone!!
I love you more than I can possibly say!!
Love always and forever!!
Hermana Turnbaugh
Happy Happy Birthday Tytan dear happy days will come to you all year If I had a wish then it would be a happy Happy Birthday to you from me!!! Oh Ty I love you so so much!! I hope you had the very best birthday!!! How exciting you are 7 years old Tytan Neil!! And next year you will be eight and you will be baptized!!! Whoop whoop!! Well Ty I love you and I am so blessed to have you in my life!!! Happy Birthday Buddy!!!
How is my most wonderful family doing!?! How exciting that Laren and Lindsey will be coming to visit! Hopefully they will come back when I get home hopefully they can make two trips! I want to see them when I get home! How fun that we have had so many birthdays this month Baby Bella and Tytan! So fun these next few months have a lot of birthdays and special things that will happen! What a fun time in our family right now!!
Wow! 16 showings. I sure hope and pray that someone buys the house. I pray everyday that it will happen and I know it will!!
This week has been good! We are working so very hard. Lots of ups and a lots of downs! We have had very special experiences this week and experiences that are a little tough but Heavenly Father knows best! So I will tell you a very special experience that happened! So with our cute little family that just got baptized last Monday we had a family home evening with them! And they shared with us an experience that they had on Sunday! So on Saturday we went to get them all ready for church and their son said I am not going to go to church and we asked why? and he said because I don’t want to! It was weird because he is always so excited to go to church and he got silent and was looking down at the floor! So I looked at the mom and she said that he doesn’t have shoes to go to church in. His shoe has a big hole and he has shame to walk to church and to go to church with his shoes like that! ( This family is so poor they don’t have money to buy new shoes!) Well I testified that if they all went to church God would provide for their needs! But I said if we keep the commandments God will bless us so they said they will go to church but Jose the son was still a little hesitant about going! So we left and the next day was Sunday and bright and early they were in the church and Jose was there also but a little shame to show that he was wearing those shoes! But we had our classes and then they left after church to walk back to their house. But as they were walking a member in their car saw them and saw the great big hole in Jose’s shoe so he said get in and I will take you home but without saying anything this member pulled over at a shoe store and went in and bought brand new ecco shoes for him which is about 36 dollar shoes and just gave it to him! I know that the Lord works through people to bless his children. This member who bought the shoes didn’t have to do it but I know that the Lord touched his heart! It was very special to them because they couldn’t have bought new shoes for their son! So after they told me this story I said see look that the Lord blesses us when we do the right thing when we put him first He will bless us!! It was a very special experience because they were really touched that someone would have that much charity to buy shoes for them and it was very special for us because we know that the Lord is blessing them because they want to do the right things!
But also there are times where Satan works very hard against us too! So we found a very cute little family that had a lot of questions of the soul? Like where did we live before this earth and what is going to happen after this world? So we taught them about the plan of salvation! And it was like a light turned on! They both was like yes! that makes sense. It was a very special experience that we had with them and we talked about baptism and put a goal with them as well! They have been going to another church for only 4 months and the pastor there also said they need to be baptized and married but we explained about the Authority and the husband said yes exactly! no what ever person can baptize another person! And they told us this pastor said that maybe in 15 days they could be baptized and married maybe but they would have to wait a little! So we invited them to church and they said yes we will! Come pass by for us at 8 30 so we did and when we got there the wife came out and she wasn’t ready and in her eyes something changed. She said we can’t come today because our preacher called and he said we are going to be married today at 12! My mouth dropped and I just knew that she must have told him we had talked to her. So this preacher said he found a preacher and he will pay for everything! I know that Satan works hard too and he knew this family was very special! And that their questions of their souls was being answered. So the morning that they were going to come to the Church of Jesus Christ he made him call them! But like that saying, Jesus said it wasn’t going to be easy but he said it would be worth it! Even though there are moments of heart ache I cannot describe the joy that I feel when a family accepts the gospel! It so worth the feelings of pain! I am so thankful for moments of trails in my life because I come to realize more fully what the Atonement is and the infinite love the my Savior has for me and for my investigators!!
I have also had other experience this week where I had to stand up for what I believe and for what I testify about everyday! With people who knows the bible, who in my face said that the book of Mormon is not true and that they would only read it if I could prove that the Book of Mormon is historically, scientifically, prophetically correct. If I could then they would read it! But I testified with my whole heart that the Book of Mormon is true! That it is another testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ that is puts a stop to the false doctrines that cloud the world today! I know that this is the true and living church! That Christ is at the head of this church!! I know that my Savior lives that He died for me and that I can through his infinite Atonement I can be like Him and that I can return to my loving Heavenly Father again!! People can deny the Book of Mormon. They can show me scriptures in the bible that prove it wrong or so they say. But the thing that I can never ever deny is the sweet and scared voice that testifies in my heart telling me that the Book of Mormon is true! That Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God! That he truly saw God the Father and Jesus Christ and they talked to him! And that he had courage to follow what they said! Through one simple young mans prayer changed the world forever!! I know that we have a living Prophet that receives revelation for us! I know that God loves us with a love we can’t explain!! I know this Gospel is true and it is perfect because Christ is perfect!
I am so blessed that I can testify about this glorias message with everyone!!
I love you more than I can possibly say!!
Love always and forever!!
Hermana Turnbaugh
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
8/8/2011
Oh my Hermosa Familia!!!
How is everyone doing!?! It sounds like a lot of stuff is happening with everyone how exciting!!!! Congrats on buying a new house Laren and Lindsey your house looks beautiful!!!!! I hope you enjoy it! What amazing and wonderful blessings you are having in your life! Look and see if we put God first and work as hard as we can He will bless us! What a wonderful time in your lives right now!! See through trails and hardships brings blessings and love!
Oh how exciting that Crystal and Seth will be going on a cruise how fun for them!! Be safe!! And that will be special to be able to watch their kids while they will be gone those kids will never forget that experience of staying with grandma and grandpa! Oh how fun and exciting time we are having in our lives right now!! So Casey will be starting back up at school? When I get back Case can I come and talk to your students so that I can keep up on my spanish?!
Oh and Brynnie thanks for the pictures of your cute kids they are so big I kind of wanted to cry because I feel they are just so big and Faythie oh my word she is so big!! Where did the time go!!! I hope they will remember me their aunt tookie! Oh no I get a little butterflies in my stomach thinking about it!! So I try not to!!! LOL!!
This week was a good week!! Yes our little family is doing great!! They are so excited about everything. They come to church early sometimes even beat us to the church which is so fun to see! I can just feel their spirit to do what is good! They want to do what is good and keep strong in the church!! And it is so fun to see that the daughter, her name is Jaclyn, she is 12 and she wants to get her personal progress medallion but to get it now she has to read the entire Book of Mormon so she has started reading it and she loves it! She marks the verses that she likes most or draws a flower around the number which it so special to see her love for the Book of Mormon already! We will keep working hard with them that they will be strong and faithful members!!
We have also been working really hard to find new families as well! We have found some but we will see how they will progress! But I love finding families because that is truly what it is all about! Sometime the heartache is horrible when they don’t accept the gospel because you know that they can change and they can have blessings that they don’t even understand! We have also been working with less actives which is really good because they just have forgotten the feeling of the spirit in their lives! But it is so very important as members to visit them or just to give them a quick call to tell them how important they are to us and to God because they are His children and we need to show them our love! That is why visiting teaching and home teaching is so inspired of the Lord. When we do our visits we will come to know of the needs of the people in our ward and we can help them to overcome some of their trails that they might have with the church! Try to do all your visiting teaching and home teaching this month. It is inspired because members need our help and we can do or say something that will change their lives!!
We have only 3 more weeks in this change. We have changes the 31st of August. I can’t believe how fast the time goes! But we are working hard and helping to strengthen this branch! It is so incredible to work for the Lord! It truly is so incredible! It is at time very disheartening but the feeling of joy is worth all the pain that I might feel!! I have been reading the Book of Mormon. What a truly incredible book it is what power it has in our lives! I know that if we are missing something in our lives or if we are not happy it is because we are not reading the Book of Mormon! It changes lives if someone will put its teaching into practice! It teaches us what we must do to be happy. What we must do to live with God again!! At times I cannot put the Book of Mormon down! It is amazing!! I just read this morning 3 nefi when Christ comes to the Americas and because of His infinite love He shows His marks and wounds to the people. He blesses them and teaches and prays for them!! Oh how truly Christ loves us! My favorite part is when he blesses the children and he weeps because of the love He has for them! And then he invites each and everyone of us to be as little children! While I was looking at Brynnie and Casey’s kids today it is true we need to become like them who is eager to learn and when we tell them no, they obey because of the love they have for their parents! Are we like that? Do we obey our Heavenly Father in all that he commands us to do? If we obey His commandments it is because we truly have a love for our Heavenly Father and our Savior! Like children obey their parents! I love the Book of Mormon every time I read it I want to be better!! I can’t wait to start my own family( LOL I know dad I have a lot of time until I think about children!!LOL!!) and to study the scriptures together that my kids can have the protection that they need in the world! I want to start good traditions like the ones we have in our family because that is the only way a family can withstand all the temptation of this world!
I love this Gospel! I love my Savior!! He is my truest bestest friend He is my Savior and Redeemer!! This is His Gospel and it is perfect because He is perfect!! I love you all! Thank you for everything that you do for me!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
How is everyone doing!?! It sounds like a lot of stuff is happening with everyone how exciting!!!! Congrats on buying a new house Laren and Lindsey your house looks beautiful!!!!! I hope you enjoy it! What amazing and wonderful blessings you are having in your life! Look and see if we put God first and work as hard as we can He will bless us! What a wonderful time in your lives right now!! See through trails and hardships brings blessings and love!
Oh how exciting that Crystal and Seth will be going on a cruise how fun for them!! Be safe!! And that will be special to be able to watch their kids while they will be gone those kids will never forget that experience of staying with grandma and grandpa! Oh how fun and exciting time we are having in our lives right now!! So Casey will be starting back up at school? When I get back Case can I come and talk to your students so that I can keep up on my spanish?!
Oh and Brynnie thanks for the pictures of your cute kids they are so big I kind of wanted to cry because I feel they are just so big and Faythie oh my word she is so big!! Where did the time go!!! I hope they will remember me their aunt tookie! Oh no I get a little butterflies in my stomach thinking about it!! So I try not to!!! LOL!!
This week was a good week!! Yes our little family is doing great!! They are so excited about everything. They come to church early sometimes even beat us to the church which is so fun to see! I can just feel their spirit to do what is good! They want to do what is good and keep strong in the church!! And it is so fun to see that the daughter, her name is Jaclyn, she is 12 and she wants to get her personal progress medallion but to get it now she has to read the entire Book of Mormon so she has started reading it and she loves it! She marks the verses that she likes most or draws a flower around the number which it so special to see her love for the Book of Mormon already! We will keep working hard with them that they will be strong and faithful members!!
We have also been working really hard to find new families as well! We have found some but we will see how they will progress! But I love finding families because that is truly what it is all about! Sometime the heartache is horrible when they don’t accept the gospel because you know that they can change and they can have blessings that they don’t even understand! We have also been working with less actives which is really good because they just have forgotten the feeling of the spirit in their lives! But it is so very important as members to visit them or just to give them a quick call to tell them how important they are to us and to God because they are His children and we need to show them our love! That is why visiting teaching and home teaching is so inspired of the Lord. When we do our visits we will come to know of the needs of the people in our ward and we can help them to overcome some of their trails that they might have with the church! Try to do all your visiting teaching and home teaching this month. It is inspired because members need our help and we can do or say something that will change their lives!!
We have only 3 more weeks in this change. We have changes the 31st of August. I can’t believe how fast the time goes! But we are working hard and helping to strengthen this branch! It is so incredible to work for the Lord! It truly is so incredible! It is at time very disheartening but the feeling of joy is worth all the pain that I might feel!! I have been reading the Book of Mormon. What a truly incredible book it is what power it has in our lives! I know that if we are missing something in our lives or if we are not happy it is because we are not reading the Book of Mormon! It changes lives if someone will put its teaching into practice! It teaches us what we must do to be happy. What we must do to live with God again!! At times I cannot put the Book of Mormon down! It is amazing!! I just read this morning 3 nefi when Christ comes to the Americas and because of His infinite love He shows His marks and wounds to the people. He blesses them and teaches and prays for them!! Oh how truly Christ loves us! My favorite part is when he blesses the children and he weeps because of the love He has for them! And then he invites each and everyone of us to be as little children! While I was looking at Brynnie and Casey’s kids today it is true we need to become like them who is eager to learn and when we tell them no, they obey because of the love they have for their parents! Are we like that? Do we obey our Heavenly Father in all that he commands us to do? If we obey His commandments it is because we truly have a love for our Heavenly Father and our Savior! Like children obey their parents! I love the Book of Mormon every time I read it I want to be better!! I can’t wait to start my own family( LOL I know dad I have a lot of time until I think about children!!LOL!!) and to study the scriptures together that my kids can have the protection that they need in the world! I want to start good traditions like the ones we have in our family because that is the only way a family can withstand all the temptation of this world!
I love this Gospel! I love my Savior!! He is my truest bestest friend He is my Savior and Redeemer!! This is His Gospel and it is perfect because He is perfect!! I love you all! Thank you for everything that you do for me!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
8/1/2011 & Pictures
Happy Birthday Baby Bella!!! How I love you so much!!! I know you don’t know me but I love you more than I can possibly say!!! I hope you have the best one year old birthday ever!! I love you baby Bella!!!!
It sounds like everyone is busy getting ready for school! I can’t even believe that it is Aug. 1st. Time flies huh? I got the picture of Laren and Lindsey Que Guapos are they!! I am so proud of my Bother what an amazing accomplishment!!
So you have a lot of showings but no offers so far. I know you will get an offer pretty soon! I just feel that it will be the perfect offer the one you have been waiting for! How fun that Brynnies parents came to visit that is fun for Ty and Tanner y Faythie and baby Tru to see their grandparents! Well I am so happy that everyone is doing so well!!
So guess what? We had a BAPTISM AND A WEDDING!!!!!! Our little family got married and baptized this Saturday it was so beautiful! They were all so happy! They wife said to me, I love the way I feel now, This is True! What greater than this to hear from your recent converts?!!! So our cute little family of four will be able in one year to enter into the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity in the temple of God! What an amazing experience that will be for them! They are so very special to us!!! I know that the Lord wants us to be patient and he will bless us like he blessed us with this family!!! This is what it is all about is to bring families to the waters of baptism so that they can make special covenants with our Heavenly Father and begin on the road that leads to eternal life! Nothing is greater than that blessing!! I have seen just a grand change in them! I have seen a new light in their eyes! This gospel truly changes people when they come to learn more about our Savior and his grand amor that he has for them! Their lives begin to change they have a new purpose in life!! I love this gospel so much!! How amazing is this plan that God has created so that we may return to Him again!!
So today we went to the beach as a district it was beautiful!! So I will send pictures!
So we are working hard that we can find more families to teach and to invite them to follow Jesus Christ! Its not easy but it is worth it!! I just want you all to know how much I love you! And how much I am so thankful that we have a forever family! I am so thankful that I have this gospel in my life! I am so thankful that I have the Book of Mormon. What power and strength I have found by reading this most sacred book! I have felt my Saviors love as I have read it pages!! I know that He lives and that he loves us and that He wants us to be happy! I will do and give anything that we might be truly happy!! I know my Heavenly Father loves me and is ever mindful of my life! The things that happens to me is all part of the grand plan that God has for me and each one of us!
I love you all! Thanks always for your great support. Know that I am always praying for you always!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Thursday, July 28, 2011
7/26/2011
Hola mi familia!!!!
How is everyone doing!?! It sounds like you are doing awesome!! I am so glad that a couple of people have looked at the house!!! I know that someone will offer and will want to buy it! I will be praying that it will sell as soon as possible!! But I bet the house looks incredible and some one will want to buy pronto!!!
Oh I am so proud of Laren! That is awesome that he will be graduating soon! What an accomplishment!! I am so proud to say my brother is a Bombero (Firefighter!) Congrats Brother!!
So yesterday we had a meeting with all the sister missionaries! It was fun! So my companion and I went to San Jose and the meeting for the sisters was at presidents house! It was fun to get to know all the sisters in the mission! There are 33 of us! Awesome huh!!! And President said there will be 5 more new sisters will becoming in next change! So the mission is growing! it is awesome!!
So guess what? This I have learned! Through times of trails we then see our fruits!! So we went to San Jose on Sunday and remember this little family that said they wanted to get baptized but not married well.................. on Sunday they said they want to get MARRIED AND BAPTIZED!!! Isn’t that just so awesome!! I was seriously about to cry!! I learned so much through this experience in my mission when we are patient and we have faith in our Heavenly Father he will bless us but we first have to show him that no matter what happens we will be faithful to him through whatever problem and affliction we might have! Because through our afflictions we will grow and become more like our Savior! On Sunday it was kind of funny and a spiritual experience at the same time! So after Church I was a little dishearten because the family came without the dad and the wife said that he didn’t want to come and that he didn’t want to attend the church. So I was a little sad just aching that he would change his mind! And I was like why is this happening? why is there so many trails? and My loving Heavenly Father rebuked me through a scripture I read so I was reading in:
Doctrina y convenios 136:31 at it says :My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.¨
I just sat there probably with my mouth opened but I learned that without trails we won’t be worth to enter the kingdom of our Heavenly Father! So I need to always thank my Heavenly Father for the trails in my life that I can be prepared to enter into His glory! I am thankful for the lesson I learned through this that I must go through hard times, that I can become more like my Savior and that I can come to understand more about the Atonement! But I also learned that God loves me and he wants to help me so he will let me pass through difficult moments and then he will bless me! Like with this little family that changed their minds and said no we want to be baptized and married on the 30th of this month! So my companion and I will have a baptism and wedding this Saturday!! We are so excited and so very thankful to our Heavenly Father that he gave us this family and this learning experience!!
I love you all so much!! I know that God loves us that we wants us to be happy! He wants us to know that he is always here to help us!! I know this gospel is true. I have seen it change lives. I have seen people change their lives completely when they understand the gospel and how the gospel can bring peace and love in their hearts and in their families!! When they understand the love that Heavenly Father has for them their eyes change! they are brighter!! I love this gospel! I love being able to serve my mission and be a representive of my Savior!
I love you all always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
How is everyone doing!?! It sounds like you are doing awesome!! I am so glad that a couple of people have looked at the house!!! I know that someone will offer and will want to buy it! I will be praying that it will sell as soon as possible!! But I bet the house looks incredible and some one will want to buy pronto!!!
Oh I am so proud of Laren! That is awesome that he will be graduating soon! What an accomplishment!! I am so proud to say my brother is a Bombero (Firefighter!) Congrats Brother!!
So yesterday we had a meeting with all the sister missionaries! It was fun! So my companion and I went to San Jose and the meeting for the sisters was at presidents house! It was fun to get to know all the sisters in the mission! There are 33 of us! Awesome huh!!! And President said there will be 5 more new sisters will becoming in next change! So the mission is growing! it is awesome!!
So guess what? This I have learned! Through times of trails we then see our fruits!! So we went to San Jose on Sunday and remember this little family that said they wanted to get baptized but not married well.................. on Sunday they said they want to get MARRIED AND BAPTIZED!!! Isn’t that just so awesome!! I was seriously about to cry!! I learned so much through this experience in my mission when we are patient and we have faith in our Heavenly Father he will bless us but we first have to show him that no matter what happens we will be faithful to him through whatever problem and affliction we might have! Because through our afflictions we will grow and become more like our Savior! On Sunday it was kind of funny and a spiritual experience at the same time! So after Church I was a little dishearten because the family came without the dad and the wife said that he didn’t want to come and that he didn’t want to attend the church. So I was a little sad just aching that he would change his mind! And I was like why is this happening? why is there so many trails? and My loving Heavenly Father rebuked me through a scripture I read so I was reading in:
Doctrina y convenios 136:31 at it says :My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.¨
I just sat there probably with my mouth opened but I learned that without trails we won’t be worth to enter the kingdom of our Heavenly Father! So I need to always thank my Heavenly Father for the trails in my life that I can be prepared to enter into His glory! I am thankful for the lesson I learned through this that I must go through hard times, that I can become more like my Savior and that I can come to understand more about the Atonement! But I also learned that God loves me and he wants to help me so he will let me pass through difficult moments and then he will bless me! Like with this little family that changed their minds and said no we want to be baptized and married on the 30th of this month! So my companion and I will have a baptism and wedding this Saturday!! We are so excited and so very thankful to our Heavenly Father that he gave us this family and this learning experience!!
I love you all so much!! I know that God loves us that we wants us to be happy! He wants us to know that he is always here to help us!! I know this gospel is true. I have seen it change lives. I have seen people change their lives completely when they understand the gospel and how the gospel can bring peace and love in their hearts and in their families!! When they understand the love that Heavenly Father has for them their eyes change! they are brighter!! I love this gospel! I love being able to serve my mission and be a representive of my Savior!
I love you all always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Friday, July 22, 2011
7/20/2011
Oh my most wonderful familia!!!
I am so glad that you all had the best time in Parowan! How much fun that is that you were able to go up and to share time with the family. What a blessing that we have such a very special close family!!! That is my hope and prayer for everyone that I teach that they can one day have an eternal family!! So Adam got in a little accident how scary but he is fine? How is he doing? I miss him a whole lot!! It will be like 3 1/2 years till I am able to see him!! So if you get to talk to him tell him that I love him and that he needs to write me!!! But I am so glad that you are home safe!! It always makes me a little nervous because I can’t know until a week later if you are all fine or no but I am glad that you are home safe!!
This week has been very busy!! We have been working hard but it has been really hard lately!! Satan doesn’t want our families to get baptized! He has been working really hard and telling them that Marriage isn’t important, that it is fine to live together because if there is problems in your marriage it is easier to just walk away without any problems!! Our little family knows that the church is true they have felt the spirit and we testified that they have felt the spirit they even want to get baptized but the don’t want to get married!! They say that it is easier to be how they are, just living together! And when they say things like that it nearly breaks my heart! I have never seen Satan work so hard before to destroy the family!! Because Satan knows if he can destroy a family they will never be eternally happy they will never be together forever!! He destroys the family because he doesn’t have one and he will never have a family! He knows that the family is part of Gods incredible plan! We are trying with all our might to show them that marriage is beautiful that yes marriage isn’t perfect and you will have problems and you will fight and you will say things that are hurtful. But God blesses Familias! He wants them to succeed that is why he sent his Son to die for us!! That a couple can use the Atonement in their lives to forgive and forget! And to come closer to each other!! When two people put God first in their marriage they will over come the problems that every couple has with faith and hope that two people can stay together forever!
This week I learned how very important it is to get married not just to anyone but to someone who has the same values and the same goals. That you both what to achieve something greater than yourselves!! I just look at grandma and grandpa and I just remember love! That they truly loved each other that they cared for each other! Sure they had problems but they were perfect for each other because they put God first! That they were always together. That the very last minute of Grandpas life was wondering if Grandma was ok! and before their anniversary grandma slipped away to be with her loving Sweet heart Grandpa! That is true love! That is what we need more in this world with slipping values!! And when I teach families I think of my Beautiful parents who love each other with a love that is truly the pure love of Christ! They are best friends they know what their goals are and how to achieve them and it is only through the gospel of Jesus Christ!! I love that my dad always puts God first and always my Mom! That Dad listens to the voice of the Lord and my Mom listens to him! What is a better example of the Gods plan here on the Earth!!
I want to share a spiritual experience this week! So a couple of days ago it was a pretty tough day for me! A lot of our families we are teaching said they can’t be baptized because they don’t want to get married and I was pretty upset and asking myself why does temptations have to come in right when they are progressing and gaining a testimony. And a couple of our citas fell through and I probably wasn’t the happiest person So I was just walking just hoping that I would get inspiration as to where to go! My companion said no lets pray and I said yes that is fine! So she said the prayer and after I didn’t feel anything of where we should go I asked my companion and she looked around and pointed to a house that was close by and she contacted the house but they didn’t want anything so I just said lets go because at this time it was about 8:30 and we have to be in the house by 9 pm. So as we were walking we saw the branch presidents wife and we talked to her for a little bit to ask if there were families in the branch that we should visit this week? She said no so we headed home and I was just praying so hard in my heart, please Heavenly Father please help us find a family before we go to our house!! And as we are about to cross the street to go to our house we see a family! And my companion asks me is that a family and I said yes so we contacted them! I asked them if they have ever heard that their family can be together forever and the husband said no, but that is so beautiful and that we would love to be with his family forever! I just looked at him and I said I testify that your family can be together forever! It was a very spiritual experience for me because at times the mission in hard! It hurts sometimes and we don’t know why things happen but God does and we wants to see our patience and faith in Him!! What would have happened if we just went home feeling sorry about ourselves we would have missed that amazing opportunity to testify to a family that they have a plan and purpose that God wants to bless them!!
I thought of the story of Nephi and his brothers that when they went to got get the brass plates from Laban they were rejected a couple of times and Laman and Lemuel wanted to go back, they wanted to go home and Nefi would not return home without getting the plates!! Because he knew that God would provide a way!! And I thought what type of missionary am I ? Do I return home when I am rejected like Laman and Lemuel or am I a missionary like Nephi who doesn’t return home until after obtaining a Goal!! That Night I learned that I want to be like Nephi always full of faith that he will not return home until he got what he wanted! What God wanted him to have! I know that God blesses us if we are faithful and diligent to his commandments!! He will bless us in times when we are not even expecting it!! I love this work even at times it is hard it is the most beautiful thing that I could and can be doing!!
Yes! so I only have 3 more changes with this change I am in now. So after this change I will have 2 more! Holy Cow it just seems like yesterday when I was thinking what? I only have 3 changes in my mission. I have so so so much time left! Now I am here saying I only have 3 more changes left where did the time go!! It will go by so fast!! So I need to work hard!! So I only will be staying a couple of weeks after my release date. My release date is in November, November the 5 will be 18 months from when I started my mission! So it is the change that I should be going home in, it is just 2 ½ weeks later.! President didn’t know if I would go home the change before in October because of the sister that would be coming in but he said that yes you will be going home in November! I am happy because I know that is when God wants me to come home! There is a special purpose of why November and not in October!
Well I love you all! You are the best!! Thanks for the Pictures of Tru Brynnie he is so cute. He looks like Casey and Tanner!! He is a little guapo!! LOL I love you all! Have the best week ever!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
I am so glad that you all had the best time in Parowan! How much fun that is that you were able to go up and to share time with the family. What a blessing that we have such a very special close family!!! That is my hope and prayer for everyone that I teach that they can one day have an eternal family!! So Adam got in a little accident how scary but he is fine? How is he doing? I miss him a whole lot!! It will be like 3 1/2 years till I am able to see him!! So if you get to talk to him tell him that I love him and that he needs to write me!!! But I am so glad that you are home safe!! It always makes me a little nervous because I can’t know until a week later if you are all fine or no but I am glad that you are home safe!!
This week has been very busy!! We have been working hard but it has been really hard lately!! Satan doesn’t want our families to get baptized! He has been working really hard and telling them that Marriage isn’t important, that it is fine to live together because if there is problems in your marriage it is easier to just walk away without any problems!! Our little family knows that the church is true they have felt the spirit and we testified that they have felt the spirit they even want to get baptized but the don’t want to get married!! They say that it is easier to be how they are, just living together! And when they say things like that it nearly breaks my heart! I have never seen Satan work so hard before to destroy the family!! Because Satan knows if he can destroy a family they will never be eternally happy they will never be together forever!! He destroys the family because he doesn’t have one and he will never have a family! He knows that the family is part of Gods incredible plan! We are trying with all our might to show them that marriage is beautiful that yes marriage isn’t perfect and you will have problems and you will fight and you will say things that are hurtful. But God blesses Familias! He wants them to succeed that is why he sent his Son to die for us!! That a couple can use the Atonement in their lives to forgive and forget! And to come closer to each other!! When two people put God first in their marriage they will over come the problems that every couple has with faith and hope that two people can stay together forever!
This week I learned how very important it is to get married not just to anyone but to someone who has the same values and the same goals. That you both what to achieve something greater than yourselves!! I just look at grandma and grandpa and I just remember love! That they truly loved each other that they cared for each other! Sure they had problems but they were perfect for each other because they put God first! That they were always together. That the very last minute of Grandpas life was wondering if Grandma was ok! and before their anniversary grandma slipped away to be with her loving Sweet heart Grandpa! That is true love! That is what we need more in this world with slipping values!! And when I teach families I think of my Beautiful parents who love each other with a love that is truly the pure love of Christ! They are best friends they know what their goals are and how to achieve them and it is only through the gospel of Jesus Christ!! I love that my dad always puts God first and always my Mom! That Dad listens to the voice of the Lord and my Mom listens to him! What is a better example of the Gods plan here on the Earth!!
I want to share a spiritual experience this week! So a couple of days ago it was a pretty tough day for me! A lot of our families we are teaching said they can’t be baptized because they don’t want to get married and I was pretty upset and asking myself why does temptations have to come in right when they are progressing and gaining a testimony. And a couple of our citas fell through and I probably wasn’t the happiest person So I was just walking just hoping that I would get inspiration as to where to go! My companion said no lets pray and I said yes that is fine! So she said the prayer and after I didn’t feel anything of where we should go I asked my companion and she looked around and pointed to a house that was close by and she contacted the house but they didn’t want anything so I just said lets go because at this time it was about 8:30 and we have to be in the house by 9 pm. So as we were walking we saw the branch presidents wife and we talked to her for a little bit to ask if there were families in the branch that we should visit this week? She said no so we headed home and I was just praying so hard in my heart, please Heavenly Father please help us find a family before we go to our house!! And as we are about to cross the street to go to our house we see a family! And my companion asks me is that a family and I said yes so we contacted them! I asked them if they have ever heard that their family can be together forever and the husband said no, but that is so beautiful and that we would love to be with his family forever! I just looked at him and I said I testify that your family can be together forever! It was a very spiritual experience for me because at times the mission in hard! It hurts sometimes and we don’t know why things happen but God does and we wants to see our patience and faith in Him!! What would have happened if we just went home feeling sorry about ourselves we would have missed that amazing opportunity to testify to a family that they have a plan and purpose that God wants to bless them!!
I thought of the story of Nephi and his brothers that when they went to got get the brass plates from Laban they were rejected a couple of times and Laman and Lemuel wanted to go back, they wanted to go home and Nefi would not return home without getting the plates!! Because he knew that God would provide a way!! And I thought what type of missionary am I ? Do I return home when I am rejected like Laman and Lemuel or am I a missionary like Nephi who doesn’t return home until after obtaining a Goal!! That Night I learned that I want to be like Nephi always full of faith that he will not return home until he got what he wanted! What God wanted him to have! I know that God blesses us if we are faithful and diligent to his commandments!! He will bless us in times when we are not even expecting it!! I love this work even at times it is hard it is the most beautiful thing that I could and can be doing!!
Yes! so I only have 3 more changes with this change I am in now. So after this change I will have 2 more! Holy Cow it just seems like yesterday when I was thinking what? I only have 3 changes in my mission. I have so so so much time left! Now I am here saying I only have 3 more changes left where did the time go!! It will go by so fast!! So I need to work hard!! So I only will be staying a couple of weeks after my release date. My release date is in November, November the 5 will be 18 months from when I started my mission! So it is the change that I should be going home in, it is just 2 ½ weeks later.! President didn’t know if I would go home the change before in October because of the sister that would be coming in but he said that yes you will be going home in November! I am happy because I know that is when God wants me to come home! There is a special purpose of why November and not in October!
Well I love you all! You are the best!! Thanks for the Pictures of Tru Brynnie he is so cute. He looks like Casey and Tanner!! He is a little guapo!! LOL I love you all! Have the best week ever!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Kaylies Lastest Email, Release Date, and Pictures!!
Hola Mi Familia Hermosa!!!
How is everyone doing!?! Oh my word the house looks absolutely amazing so beautiful!!! It is like a whole new house!!! If I was there is would defiantly want to buy it!! I Just know that it will sell so fast for the price you want!! So exciting!!!!
I am so glad that all of you will be able to go to Parowan this weekend! How very special to get to together with the family and remember all those that we love so very much! I know that grandma and grandpa will be so happy that we still get together even if there not there in person but I know they will be there in spirit! So I am so happy that you will all be there to see them all!! Give everyone a big hug and that I love them all!!!!
So yesterday my companion had her first month check up with president Galvez! It was wonderful! There was only three new missionaries that came in with her so it was a small group but it was very special!! President talked with us trainers’ and he expressed how proud he was of us and that he has a lot of confidence in us and he knows that no matter where we are we will work hard and that he loves us very much! It was very special to hear that from him because at times in the mission we have difficulties and some times our investigators don’t get baptized or we just have some really hard weeks! But it was good to hear that that even though, despite of our weaknesses, he can see past that and he knows who we can become! But I was a little scared though! So after the meeting President said that we are going to leave but before I need to speak with sister Turnbaugh first in my office! In my mind I was like what did I do? what did my companion say to him? But I was thinking I am very obedient so I wont have to worry. So he said come into my office and he asked me about what I am going to do for my schooling? Have you talked to your parents? I said yes and that no matter what I will be going up to school in January one way or another. He said that is great because I want you to say here till November change! So I will be coming home on November 22! So that is good because I will be home for THANKSGIVING WHOOP WHOOP!! But I feel really good about that date. I feel that it is the date that the Lord needs me to return! So yes I will be home in November 22. He said that the secretaries will be calling to ask what airport I will be flying into the end of this month or in august! But I can’t believe that I have only four months left! time goes by so quickly!!!
So it is seriously a blessing mom that you wrote me and said that I have a position in January!! The Lord seriously answers my prayers because I have been praying a lot lately what I am going to do when I get home and I know that the Lord is directing my path! He knows exactly where I need to be at the right moments!! So thank you mom for looking into that for me that means so much!!
We have been working really hard to maintain our cute families. There is one that is progressing and they have a date for the 23rd so pray with all your hearts that they will be baptized so they can become an eternal family!! Because that is why we are here to become forever families!! One elder yesterday said that he had the amazing opportunities to see one of his families he baptized when he started his mission enter in the temple and were sealed for time and all eternity with their families!! What a special experience. I hope and pray that one day I will be able to enter in the temple with my recent convert and see them make sacred covenants with the Lord what an incredible experience!! Like it says in my blessing when I was set apart as a missionary, it says your work is not done until they receive the blessings of the temple! And it is correct! Baptism is only the first door but the temple is how we can live for ever with God forever!! I wish that when I started my mission I could have understood that a little more! That is why I am so glad that I have this opportunity to train and tell teach the new missionaries what the obra missional is and what is our purpose to baptize families that one day they can enter into the temple and to be sealed forever as a family!! This is such an amazing plan that God has made for us!! How beautiful his gospel how very special is families!!! I love my family I hope you all know that I love you all. I know that we are a forever family!! That we will be with our loved ones for all of eternity if we endure to the end and always renew our covenants with our Heavenly Father!! I know the world is hard but God loves us and he will always make it possible to return to him!! I love this gospel more than I can possibly say!!! I am forever changed because of my Savior and is amazing Atonement! I know with every fiber of my being the Atonement is real that it cleanses you from the inside out!! I understand the Atonement more when I read in alma 26 when Aaron is teaching King Lamonai and after Aaron teaches with power and authority the king prays to our Heavenly Father and says I will give up all my sins to know thee! I love this because when we give up our sins no matter how big or little if we give them up we will come to know our Savior in a very personal way!! I love my Savior! I know he lives and he loves me!! I know he died for me and I know he lives for me that one day I can return to his presence! How amazing will that day be when we can look across the space of time and come to fully understand the true and great plan that God has created for us!!! Do everything in your power this week to use the Atonement in your lives let the Atonement heal what ever wounds we might have, and become completely whole through the Atonement! I know that if we do we will feel Gods love in our lives more abundantly!! I love you all! Thank you for all you do for me!!!
Love always and forever
Hermana Turnbaugh
Thursday, July 7, 2011
7/6/2011
Hola mi familia!!!
How is the most wonderful family doing!?! I hope you had the best fourth of July ever!! I thought of you all day and I sang the star spangle banner a couple of time in the street as we were working. I am pretty sure people that I was a little crazy but I am very proud of my country! So I am glad you had fun and you were able to spend time together!! That is so exciting that the front yard has a for sell sign or a for sale sign coming soon!!! Oh how exciting! But I for sure will pray so that everything will go as planned!!
I am fine! Sorry I didn’t write on Monday we didn’t have Pday because today we went to the Temple and it was seriously so wonderful! I haven’t been to the Temple for more than 7 months now and I was missing it so so much!! It was so wonderful to feel the spirit in that most holy of places!! It was so incredible not to think about anything but just communicate to my Heavenly Father and feel His love!! It was special because I got a little emotional and the little man that I talked to said it is very special because she is here with you! It was a very neat and spiritual experience! I am glad I was able to go it was exactly what I needed! I love the Temple! It is so true that it is truly the House of God a place of love and beauty! My goal after my mission is to go ever week to the Temple and renew my convenios with my Heavenly Father! I want to have a family goal that all of us should go to the Temple every week no matter if we are in different states but everyone of us should go and feel of the spirit as we sit in the house of our Lord. How incredible is that!! I learned so much. How to be better and what I need to change in my life! I love learning more about my Savior and the plan that God has created for us!! It is the closes place that we have in the earth closest to our Heavenly Father and how wonderful that in Colorado we will be able to have two temples in our state!!
This week we have been working so hard. We are teaching 4 families and 2 of them came to church Sunday which was wonderful! One in particular are so wonderful! They absolutely loved church and we had a lesson with them yesterday and the father knelt and prayed for the first time with his family! It was an amazing sight to see. I know that Prayer is real! And when we pray in our families there is a power that surrounds that family and they are literally closer to the power of God! But it was even more special because their little daughter that has 12 years came running after me and said Oh please can I say the next prayer when you come back! This family has expressed that they feel something different and we testified that it is the Spirit testifying that this is true! One thing I have learned on my mission is that we have difficultdades pero God will never close a door without opening another one! We just have to be patient and have faith that not matter what God will help us through all our problems however little or big they might be! Maybe with this one family that doesn’t what anything to do with the church was just an opportunity to see if we wouldn’t get disanimaded and stop working but he wanted to see our obedience and diligence in Him!! And if we push through the hard times, their is always a rainbow after the storm!!
I love all of you so much! I pray for each and everyone of you and I am so blessed to have you as my family! It is such an amazing thing to know that we will and are a forever family a lot of families don’t know this! They don’t even think it could be possible! But it is and we can! All families can be together forever! I know the Priesthood is real. I have seen a lot of miracles in my mission though the power of the Priesthood! I am so thank that I have a dad, brothers and brother in law that hold and use their priesthood to bless their and their families lives! It is incredible that with this same amazing power God created the world. That Christ used this power to heal the sick and raise the dead and even now this same power is here on the earth that can seal families together for time and all eternity!! I love this gospel! I love that I am able to testify of the love that God has for each and everyone of us!!
I love you have the best week ever!!!
Cuidase!!
Forever and always!!!
Hermana Turnbaugh
How is the most wonderful family doing!?! I hope you had the best fourth of July ever!! I thought of you all day and I sang the star spangle banner a couple of time in the street as we were working. I am pretty sure people that I was a little crazy but I am very proud of my country! So I am glad you had fun and you were able to spend time together!! That is so exciting that the front yard has a for sell sign or a for sale sign coming soon!!! Oh how exciting! But I for sure will pray so that everything will go as planned!!
I am fine! Sorry I didn’t write on Monday we didn’t have Pday because today we went to the Temple and it was seriously so wonderful! I haven’t been to the Temple for more than 7 months now and I was missing it so so much!! It was so wonderful to feel the spirit in that most holy of places!! It was so incredible not to think about anything but just communicate to my Heavenly Father and feel His love!! It was special because I got a little emotional and the little man that I talked to said it is very special because she is here with you! It was a very neat and spiritual experience! I am glad I was able to go it was exactly what I needed! I love the Temple! It is so true that it is truly the House of God a place of love and beauty! My goal after my mission is to go ever week to the Temple and renew my convenios with my Heavenly Father! I want to have a family goal that all of us should go to the Temple every week no matter if we are in different states but everyone of us should go and feel of the spirit as we sit in the house of our Lord. How incredible is that!! I learned so much. How to be better and what I need to change in my life! I love learning more about my Savior and the plan that God has created for us!! It is the closes place that we have in the earth closest to our Heavenly Father and how wonderful that in Colorado we will be able to have two temples in our state!!
This week we have been working so hard. We are teaching 4 families and 2 of them came to church Sunday which was wonderful! One in particular are so wonderful! They absolutely loved church and we had a lesson with them yesterday and the father knelt and prayed for the first time with his family! It was an amazing sight to see. I know that Prayer is real! And when we pray in our families there is a power that surrounds that family and they are literally closer to the power of God! But it was even more special because their little daughter that has 12 years came running after me and said Oh please can I say the next prayer when you come back! This family has expressed that they feel something different and we testified that it is the Spirit testifying that this is true! One thing I have learned on my mission is that we have difficultdades pero God will never close a door without opening another one! We just have to be patient and have faith that not matter what God will help us through all our problems however little or big they might be! Maybe with this one family that doesn’t what anything to do with the church was just an opportunity to see if we wouldn’t get disanimaded and stop working but he wanted to see our obedience and diligence in Him!! And if we push through the hard times, their is always a rainbow after the storm!!
I love all of you so much! I pray for each and everyone of you and I am so blessed to have you as my family! It is such an amazing thing to know that we will and are a forever family a lot of families don’t know this! They don’t even think it could be possible! But it is and we can! All families can be together forever! I know the Priesthood is real. I have seen a lot of miracles in my mission though the power of the Priesthood! I am so thank that I have a dad, brothers and brother in law that hold and use their priesthood to bless their and their families lives! It is incredible that with this same amazing power God created the world. That Christ used this power to heal the sick and raise the dead and even now this same power is here on the earth that can seal families together for time and all eternity!! I love this gospel! I love that I am able to testify of the love that God has for each and everyone of us!!
I love you have the best week ever!!!
Cuidase!!
Forever and always!!!
Hermana Turnbaugh
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