Remember

Olga  :)

The first time I met Olga, all I saw was an 89 year old woman who I thought wasn't really all that interested in learning more about the gospel.

We didn't see her again for two weeks.

The second time I saw Olga...I saw an 89 year old woman with a deteriorating mind...a broken-record memory...and swollen, heavy feet with no more will to walk. A woman who had a two story house in Argentina and who raked the leaves over and over again, all day long... Who ate lunch twice because she forgot she had eaten it the first time. The 89 year old woman who spends each day alone... Who is terrified of silence and who doesn't let us speak for words she wants to say...
Who broke down in tears because she simply cannot remember.

We started working seriously with our Olgita this week. We stopped by every day. 

Olga is progressing. After three days of telling us the same stories over and over...we have moved on to other stories. She reads the Book of Mormon every night before bed, and she pleads with God to help her remember. She falls asleep with the book on her chest.

I have faith in Olga.

We have decided to take a CTR 4 approach.
We are determined to teach her the Restoration.

"Prophets are men who are called of God. Olga, what is a prophet?"

"...I don't know."

"It's a man called of God. Olga, who calls prophets?"

"...I don't know. I don't remember."

"God calls prophets. Olga, who calls prophets?"

"God?"

"Bien! Perfecto. A prophet is a man called of God. What is a prophet?"

And thus it goes... We shoot for two principles in a 20 minute lesson. Then we write them down on a sticky note so that she can read and re-read them again and again and again.

"A prophet is a man called of God.
He holds the priesthood."

We leave it at that, and then we return the following day to see if she remembers...and to teach another principle or two.  

Olga, God loves you.

He loves you, so He gave you a family.

He calls prophets to help you teach your family.

Prophets are called of God.

They hold the priesthood.

The priesthood is the power of God.

Jesus Christ is God´s son.

He came to the earth to establish His church.

He called 12 apostles.

He served the people.

He loves us.

I like the Restoration in "CTR 4." It's a language I can understand. It's a language Olga can understand. Even when she forgets to eat lunch...she can hear a thousand times that God loves her, and maybe it will stick. Even when she forgets that she already put jam on the table...she can hear a thousand times that God calls prophets, and maybe it will stick. Even when she forgets she already told us, 5 or 6 or 7 times...she can hear a thousand times that the priesthood is the power of God, and maybe it will stick.

When we came to this earth, we passed through the veil. We forgot every single gospel truth we knew before. God calls prophets to help us remember. He gives us the scriptures to help us remember. It's no surprise that Book of Mormon prophets so often "exhort (us) to remember these things" (Mor. 10:27)... That they plead with us to remember the captivity of our fathers... To remember the name by which we are called... To remember our state of ignorance and give thanks for the knowledge with which God has blessed us. To return to CTR 4 and remember the basics. Remember, remember, remember. 

We already knew it. We knew it all before. A loving Heavenly Father sent us here to be tested, but not to forget. He wants to give us the answers. He wants to help us remember. He loves us. 

I know God loves Olga. We love Olga. And we never tire of trying...because all we can see is her walking down the steps, dressed in white, to make promises with the Father who loves her SO, so much. All we can see is her potential. We don't see the woman who forgets. We see a woman whose spirit desires to remember.

God calls prophets to help us remember. He gives us the scriptures to help us remember. 
And it doesn't matter if sometimes we forget... If sometimes we eat lunch twice, or we tell the same story again and again... He will take our hand and gently whisper to us the most important truths, because it doesn't matter when we get there--it only matters that we do.

Olga, why does God call prophets?

To guide us.

Olga, why does God want to guide you?

Because He loves me.

Olga, does God love you?

Yes.


Success.

She remembered.


I love you! Have a great week!:)
Hermana Sanford

THE FLOWER CLOCK
I haven't seen it since my very first day in Chile

Hna. Herminia, Hna. Sylvia, and Hna. Perla at church

With my companion, Hna. Hansen

HNA HERMINIA!
I love her SO much

YOU WILL NEVER GUESS WHAT I FOUND IN THE CAPILLA YESTERDAY....

Morgan found a Maggie bear...

Exactly like the one she had
when she was little!

"Esa mueble está llena de estupidez."

With my new companion, Hna. Hansen

Querida Familia,
Welcome to Chorrillos. I am pleased this week to introduce to you three incredible people.:)


Cecilia met the missionaries five years ago and liked them a lot; she began investigating the Church with her two children, but only she decided to be baptized. Being, however, a little more converted to the elders than to the Gospel, in the few months of trial that followed her baptism, she let go of the rod and stumbled away into inactivity. She forgot many of the truths she had learned, and the fire of her testimony waxed dim.

One week ago, Cecilia finally invited the sister missionaries to "pasar"...and all of her struggles came rushing right out. She tearfully laid at their feet her fear of illness--her fear of death. She has become obsessed with the prospect of dying, and her crippling fear keeps her from living life normally--it shoulders its way into her relationships and impedes her from simply enjoying the happy moments. Through tears she told the missionaries, "All I want is peace. Please help me find peace."


Sergio joined the church as a young man, but the fire slowly burned out, and when he married Jeannette and they began to raise their family, he left his experience as a member in the past and began to move forward into the future.

Sergio drives a colectivo, and a few months ago, the sister missionaries climbed in and he felt prompted to start a conversation with them... He told them that he was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ many years before and invited them to stop by his house and meet his family a few days later. That week, the missionaries began to teach Sergio, Jeannette, and Axel, their 13 year old son.

One week ago, Hermana Hansen and Hermana Sanford felt that they needed to visit someone that lived a little further up the hill, but they were running out of time and decided to take a colectivo. As they were waiting, Sergio passed by with his colectivo full of passengers, and the engine stalled out right then and there. The car began to roll backwards, and he helplessly maneuvered it into a side street and began desperately trying to get the car up and running again. The missionaries flagged down another colectivero to come and help him (because, unfortunately, they do NOT know cars), but the man was unable to do anything and ended up taking Sergio's passengers that had to go further up the hill. Poor Sergio was so frustrated...he was just about to give up right then and there. "We came from Santiago because we thought that there would be more opportunities here, but EVERYTHING has been going wrong. I'm so ready to just pack up and head back there."

He continued trying to start the car for a good five minutes more, but the engine still didn't catch, and his best efforts weren't working. The missionaries, at exactly the same moment, felt very strongly to do so, so we asked him if we could say a prayer together. He agreed, and Hermana Hansen offered the most beautiful prayer; the Spirit testified of every word she said.

When we had said, "Amen," and opened our eyes, Sergio tried again. And again. And again. And the car still didn't work. He, in his growing faith, decided to try to start it in second gear down the hill. The missionaries said goodbye and watched him coasting down the hill, praying SO hard that God would work a miracle...

The car got stuck and he coasted into a side street...

But then, miracle of miracles, Sergio emerged from the side street, car lights blazing and driving UP the hill!

They cheered as he passed, and he yelled out the window, "Hermanas! Get in!"

The next day, Jeannette told the missionaries that Sergio had come home that night and so excitedly told her all about the miracle of an answered prayer.


As a young woman, Ana always wanted to serve a mission, but the world got in the way, and she and her family gradually fell into inactivity and stopped attending church. A few months ago, a faithful friend of Ana's began to invite her to return--Ana gave in and attended General Conference, which she LOVED! As the Spirit began to work on her, and weekly church attendance increased, she began to feel desires to serve a mission. She sang in the choir at stake conference last Sunday, where she heard the testimonies of two youth who are currently preparing to serve missions, and her desire become concrete. She excitedly told the sister missionaries...and they excitedly began to teach her the reactivation lessons and to prepare her to serve a successful full-time mission.


I have no doubt that when Alma says that angels are preparing hearts to receive the gospel, he means it. Chorrillos is a miracle hill. Heavenly Father is at work here, and He is blessing His children with afflictions and with miracles in order to prepare them to receive the miracle of His gospel. He wants them to be happy. He wants to give them the best chance possible to accept His representatives, follow their Savior, and return again to His presence. He is preparing their tierra for the seeds.

I love this gospel. I love being a missionary. I know that our Father is perfectly aware of us, and I know that every experience with which He blesses us is for a specific, perfect purpose. He is preparing us to receive the gospel, to need the gospel--to live the gospel. As we take advantage of those experiences, we will grow in all the ways He wants us to, and we will return to His presence triumphant, happy, and 100% converted.:)

Have a wonderful week! Pray this week to know who God is preparing to hear the gospel from YOU, and then muster up the courage and share it with them! I know that He is working in the hearts of His children, and He is preparing their tierra to receive the seeds that only you can share.:)

Love you!
Hermana Sanford

Viña District Meeting

Aaaand the Results are In!

With Hermana Hansen at Transfer meeting

Querida Familia,

Last Friday, May 1st, we had a Mission Leaders meeting in Viña. While President was talking about calling our families on Mother's Day, I started to feel a little worried because I knew I would be transferring out of my area, but I didn't know to where--that alone would make it a little difficult to coordinate the Skype call with my family in advance. I was about to ask him what we should do if we were to transfer...but I decided to just trust in my Father and have faith that as we are laboring in His service, everything will work out alright.:) 

A few moments later, I felt the strong impression to ask Hermana Hansen if she and her companion had already made arrangements for the Skype call in Chorrillos and at what time they would be calling their families. The prompting was unmistakable...so when I ran into her and her companion in the bathroom, I just opened my mouth and blurted out: 

"This is a weird question, but have you already made arrangements for the Skype call next Sunday?"

She just looked at me, a little confused, and I continued:

"Because my mom wants to know what time to plan for, and I felt like I should ask you."

(Haha. Talk about a bad delivery...It didn't sound much better in Spanish, either.;))

She smiled knowingly and said, "Hermana Sanford, are you coming to Chorrillos?"

I nodded my head and said, "Yeah, I think so."

She told me, "When I saw you this morning, I had the thought--'She's coming to Chorrillos with you.'"

"We'll see what happens, then!" we said.


Fast Forward Five Days

After Transfer meeting

Transfer meeting...one down, two down, three down... Everyone down... The only ones left are Hermana Hansen and I. President says, "Hermana Sanford. You'll be transferring to Chorrillos as a Sister Training Leader with Hermana Hansen."

Whoot! Called it!:) (Okay, not really. The Spirit called it.)

Chorrillos is pretty much the opposite of Illapel, and I love it so much. We're right here in the heart of Viña del Mar, and Chorrillos is a HUGE hill, así que the view is absolutely beautiful, and we can see the ocean, the skyscapers, and the trees changing colors. After 6 months in the middle of nowhere, I feel just a little bit like I'm drowning in city, but I am SO excited to be here.

The view from the house where we Skyped
on Mother's Day.

My new companion, Hermana Hansen, is seriously the best--she's from Washington state, and she'll be finishing her mission and heading back home in July. She's studying Spanish Education at BYU, loves to travel, loves running just as much as I do, and hated it just as much as I used to, too. She always has a smile on her face, and she is always happy. Heavenly Father blessed me with a super awesome companion--she really is the best, and I am so excited for the next six weeks.:)

Transfers really are inspired, and I have no doubt that Heavenly Father ALWAYS knows what's best for us. And even though, after the mission, we won't necessarily get "transferred" anymore...I know that any changes that He makes in our lives are for our good. I know that we can trust in Him and know that whenever He calls on us to pack up our suitcases or take the bus to another city...it's because He loves us. Change is good. It's happy.

Welcome to Chorrillos!:)

Con Amor,
Hermana Sanford

The Chorrillos Branch

A school that I saw and reminded me of
Taylor--it says "Deutsche Schule".

The CUTEST little kitten EVER.

Welcome to Chorrillos!
The branch boundaries are in blue.
The mission home is at the top center.

Farewell gift from Cata.
She wrote to us: "It was so sad
for me not to see Hna. Sanford
on the piano in the church today...
We also miss Hna Sanford :( in the
church, in the class, in my house..."

When the Power Goes Out

Our district!

Querida Familia,

We never expect that the lights are going to go out. Like running water and a heated house, in the modern world in which we live, light has become a fundamental part of life that we often take for granted, simply assuming that it will always be there. It's not until the fuse box blows that you realize how grateful you are for those flashlights that your mom packed for you back in Utah--and you realize just how dependent we all are on the light.

I've been praying for six weeks for a better understanding of the meaning of the word "hope"--to make that Christlike attribute a real part of me--and as the Spirit prompted me to turn from my studies and look out the window, it dawned on me. Our little hand-held flashlights helped us to accomplish the basic tasks that we need to accomplish throughout the course of the morning, but for two sister missionaries that sat waiting in darkness, the rising of the sun became an event long hoped for--a source of light that we could find in no other place.

As we put down our little flashlights--our little brother's headlamp or Mom's flickering candles--we will come to understand the beauty that is the sunrise. Our temporary sit in darkness will be illuminated by the instinctive hope that, as Annie so adorably puts it, "The sun will come up tomorrow." (And I'd bet my bottom dollar on it, but I don't bet.) We don't deserve the sunrise, but a loving Heavenly Father so lovingly grants it. He doesn't ask that we meet certain requirements in order to enjoy a brand new day. He simply gives it to us, full of possibilities and endless opportunities for growing and loving and learning. And, sometimes, He lets our power go out--He lets the breaker blow and the light bulb shatter all over the bathroom sink--in order to help us learn to appreciate the beautiful gift that He is about to give us.

Christ is the Sunrise in our lives. He is every new beginning, every fresh start, every chance to try again... He is the hope of eternal life and eternal families and eternal happiness... Hope is the essence of His gospel, and He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. 

As we sit in darkness, He invites us to look toward the light. He reminds us that He doesn't require a single cent for the chance to start again--and again, and again, and again. As many sunrises as we need, He will grant them to us because He loves us, and He knows that as we anxiously await the sunrise, our multitude of new beginnings with enable us one day to become a little more like Him. 

It took me 11 long months in Chile to decide to take a moment and watch the sunrise. It took me 6 long weeks in Illapel to realize that my Savior is the sunrise. And because He rose from the tomb and broke the bands of death, one day we will also rise, and He will break our bands. Because He set His life on the altar of sacrifice--God's perfect, firstborn Lamb--He offers us the opportunity to cleanse our own. That when we rise from the tomb as He did, we can be clean as He is clean and pure as He is pure... Perfect, glorified beings with the prospect of creating an eternity of their own sunrises. He will know us, and He will receive us with a beaming smile into the kingdom He has prepared for us. 

I know God loves us. I know He is our Father, and because He is and because He loves us, He offers us each morning the chance to start again. He gave His Son so that, hand-in-hand with new days and new sunrises, we can also have fresh starts and clean slates and blank pages. As we look to the sunrise, we will see the Son rise in our lives, and He will fill them with the hope and happiness that only He can give us. 

Let us put down our candles, and turn off the lights... Wait in the darkness...

And turn our gaze to the Son.

I love you all! Have a wonderful week!
Hermana Sanford

This is what happens if you eat an apple from top to
bottom, instead of eating from inside to outside. The
internet doesn't lie. I read an article about that about
2 years ago and have always wanted to try it. The
picture is ALL that is left of my apple after doing so.

The funniest poster I have ever seen...
"Whites don't know how to jump?
Everything can be accomplished with hard work."

"Work like always, Negrita."
Baha. Elder Hamilton read this wrong,
but it's funnier that way. It was supposed to say,
"Work always like DyC...."

May Consejo de Lideres

Look who I found at Consejo!  Elder Ashcraft

JB is invading this country.

Me with Marcela and her daughters

With Cindy Briceño

With the Familia Soto

With Millaray (11 yrs old)

With Elias

The yummy lunch that Hna Jimena
made for us my last Sunday in Illapel. :)

Cata loved the gifts! She was so happy
she almost cried. :)

An email from Cata about Hna. Sanford:
 "I know our Heavenly Father loves us 
and knows us...And he knew that I had to 
meet Hna. Sanford....She's my best friend 
and my favorite sister! She's like my 
real sister, a sister I always wanted... 
and she's my eternal friend. :)"