El Sol Sale Por El Este

I come home this week. In case you're wondering, yes, I am emo. I'm sad. I can't believe it. I can't believe the time has gone by so quick. My homecoming talk will be THIS SUNDAY the 17th at 9am at 550 E 700 S, I'd love to see you there!! There will be food after at Vernon Worthen Park :).

This week was so crazy and so awesome. We had the mission tour with Elder Villanueva and I loved it!! We had 2 MLCs with him, and my companion and I are also part of the technology committee, so we had a technology council with him as well! Him and his wife are super cute, I love them and I feel lucky to have heard from them twice on my mission! 3 days full of awesome learning and application. I wish I had more time to apply everything I learned. On the last day he talked a lot about being a disciple of Jesus Christ for our whole lives and I feel like it was a message just for me! I'm super thankful to have made the decision to serve a mission. This experience has truly set me up for lifelong discipleship. And then me and my companion and Hermana Hamilton (sweetest senior missionary ever I love that woman) cried as we reflected on how awesome missionary work is and will affect our lives forever :').

Today my favorite member family ever is FINALLY getting married and I am SO EXCITED. Yanelis and her family were less active for a couple months, and Hermana Perry and I found them when I first got here to Punta. We helped them get to church a couple weeks later and have been helping them return ever since. I am so excited for them to prepare to make their temple covenants soon and be sealed as a family, and receive so many other blessings, and so is Yanelis! They are SO tender to me and it has been so special to be part of this process with them.

Last night I gave my departing testimony and it was weird. I seriously can't believe my mission is ending. This is the best work ever. I can't express my love for it enough.

My top 10:

10. Spiritual work works

9. God has a perfect plan, always

8. God truly is the same yesterday, today, and forever

7. Christ magnifies my efforts

6. How to have faith, hope, AND charity

5. A sense of urgency !!!

4. The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something

3. The framework of receiving revelation

2. Patience is a Heavenly virtue

1. Jesus Christ is my personal friend

I love Jesus Christ. I once had a promise made to me that as I nurture my testimony of Jesus Christ, I would come to know Him deeply not only as my Savior, but as a personal friend. I’ve seen that so fulfilled here on my mission. I've truly come to know Him and how He works. I've felt His love and seen His mercy time and time again.

I know He knows me. He knows exactly how I feel when I go through tough times! He knows how to comfort us. I am so beyond grateful for Him. It's truly because of Him that we have any chance of hope for after this life, and during too! He came and suffered for all of us, suffered everything, went below everything, but then He rose above everything. Then He overcame death. He overcame death!!!!! He overcame all of that just so He could know how to help us overcome it too. I find so much hope in the fact that this life is not the end. I find so much hope knowing that I can repent daily and progress in this life. That is so amazing.

My mission has been absolutely amazing, and through the ups and the downs Jesus Christ has been there, He has succorred me!! I am so beyond thankful to have been able to serve Him and get to know Him more for a year and a half. I'm thankful to have Christ as my personal friend. This experience really has set me up for the rest of my life, for life-long discipleship. I am so beyond thankful.

"8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise." (2 Nephi 2:8)

If you're thinking about going on a mission, GO!!!

love u all tons I'll see you this week !!

-Hermana Sevilla

p.s. also a guy yelled at us at the pier telling us we were children of the devil and threw a rock at us today <3

-look at these cute flowers!

-this is my first tarantula spotting, I am so glad it was dead

-member family that lives out in the absolute boonies but I love them

-the mission at the tour!

-WED!

-cutie treat

-metro!

-these 2 lovely ladies give us dinner every Sunday <3