ITS A MONDAY! I got nothin´goin´ on! I´m so dang clear!

How is everyone doing?! Did you all have a great week?! Our week here in Las Cuadras was awesome! It was one of the greatest weeks of my mission. I dont even know why, but I really just felt super happy all week. I wanted to share an experience that my comp and I had..... 

I truly feel like the Lord is hastening His work. This week, I really felt that. I felt an anxiety that I had never felt before like I needed to do better and be better. I wanted to tell you about an experience that I had that proved to me that He is hastening His work. Hna Parry and I were doing 12 Semanas, and as we watched the videos of the planning sessions and the study sessions, I had a thought come to my head... ¨Why are we not doing it as they do it?¨I discussed this with Hna Parry, and her and I both decided that we were doing our study sessions and planning sessions wrong. I had done it the same way with all of my companions. In our comp study, we always spent a majority of the time sharing what we had both learned. That is always really good to do, and I always learn more, but why were the elders in The District spending more time planning and talking about their lessons and investigators? So we switched it up this week. We decided to spend more time planning lessons and talking about our investigator`s needs, and only share our studies for about 5 to 10 minutes. I have really noticed a change in our studies and our lessons. We are more prepared, we receive more revelation as to what they need, and we are seeing more success. We also decided to start planning more in the manner of PME. We are using the carpeta de area more, we are searching through future investigators, and we are really trying to focus on the people and what they need. I have a gained a true testimony of 12 Semanas, The District, and The Area Book. Heavenly Father gave us these tools for a reason, so why arent we using them more efficiently!? I hope that I can begin to follow the plan that Heavenly Father has for this work, because I know He is hastening it. I have felt His spirit tell me, ¨Hermana Routsong, do more! Follow my plan! We have work to do!¨I hope that I can fulfill what He wants from me. 

I shared this with my president. It was one of the coolest revelations that I have received in the mission. I know that Heavenly Father wants more from me. He wants me to be a better missionary. He wants me to follow HIs plan in Preach my Gospel. 

We have so many people to teach. This past Sunday, I was feeling a little anxiety because we have so much to do during church. We have so many people to talk to, and so much to do! My head was spinning a little bit, but it is a good feeling. I love having a lot of work to do. Once the elders left our ward and put us incharge of everything, we have been super busy. But we are really working with a lot of cool people, and are seeing their progress.

- I come home at night, and as I think about the day, I really just feel this overwhelming joy. Why? Sometimes I ask myself that. But each night this week, I just felt this really cool feeling that we are doing good things. That we are helping people. I really dont know if I have ever been happier in my whole mission. 

.- Now that we eat dinner in our house, we have more time to do the area book, which is great. And we also get to eat whatever we want! So I have been making salads. YES SALADS. What I havent had for about 9 months now! Wooooo! 

- It is so cool to start to see the progress that my comp is making. MI HIJA! I really want her to be the best missionary that she can be. Way better than me. It is hard, but I know that I have to be the example 24-7. I can really see her growing and wanting to be better. 

- We have been teaching this girl who is 15. Her name is Barinia. She lives with her aunt and uncle who are members. She wants to be baptized SO BAD. She comes to church every week. We are really excited to see her progress. She says that she knows it is all true. She reminds me of Kayla. 

We are really having a great time here. My comp feels like my best friend. Today, we went to the zone activity, and played catch. We both loved it. It reminded me of all those times that I played with Steph, Emily, and Dpiiipo. It was super fun. 

Hope you all have a great week! The Lord is hastening His work. What are YOU doing to help? 

Love

Hermana Routsong

Foto.... One day, all of our appts fell through. It was sad. But then we found 20 bolivianos in the street, so we were happy. We have big plans for this 20 bs.... THE GIANT ROLLO DE QUESO! Pictures to come....... get excited......... 

That was my phrase for this week..... change for me has never been easy. In fact, this was actually a really hard week, but I learned so much. I learned to be more humble, more faithful, more hopeful, and more willing to serve. Being a capacitadora is not easy. I have learned that Heavenly Father really does pull us out of our comfort zone to help us grow and learn. I have learned so much this week, and I really am so grateful.... even though it was hard....

My new comp is AMAZING. Hermana Rossi from Argentina. She is going home in 5 weeks. I am going to miss her so much. She has helped me so much this week. 

This was one of the hardest weeks of my mission. Hermana Rossi and I dont really know what happened, but this week just kind of fell apart in our area. They had people progressing and we had appointments, but this week, literally NO ONE was home. NO ONE wanted to talk to us. NO ONE was interested. It was hard. I felt so bad for Hermana Rossi, because I couldnt help her because I just recently got here, so I couldnt give suggestions on who we could visit. We had one day where our numbers were all zeros. That has never happened in my whole mission. I knew that this area would be different, but I didnt think it would be this hard. I dont know why we had such a hard week. We were being so obedient and trying so hard.... and we dont really know Heavenly Father`s plan yet. Maybe He wanted us to learn patience. Maybe He wanted us to learn perseverance, or hope, or faith. We are still praying to know. 

I learned something from my first intercambio as a capacitadora. So at the beginning of this week, I was really questioning why I was placed as capacitadora. I have no real experience in leading people! But I found out why this past Friday with Hermana Hullinger. Heavenly Father gave me this calling so that I can learn from these sisters. I learned so much when I was with Hermana Hullinger. I realized then that this was why I was called to this calling. I am so excited to see what else these other sisters will teach me. 

So yeah, it is another week. I have two intercambios, so I will be with two new sisters tomorrow and Friday. I will go to their area because I dont know my area well enough yet. But I am excited to get to know these sisters more and learn from them. 

Other things.... 

My pension is great. She is like our mom. She takes out the trash for us. She makes us breakfast, she even helped me wash my clothes this morning. I love her already. 

I found a new favorite scripture. Look up Psalm 118:24. This should be everyone´s goal. 

I hope everyone has a great week. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RHIANNON AND KAYLA AND HERMANA FERWEDA! YOU ARE ALL SO AMAZING AND I HOPE YOU EAT LOTS OF CHOCOLAT ICECREAM ON YOUR BIRTHDAYS.

LOVE YOU ALL! 

Hermana Rockstar (I started to tell people that that was how you pronouce my name because they cannot pronounce Routsong hehehehehe) 

Well.......This is weird!

I don`t even know how to describe how I feel right now. It is only a feeling that people who have gone on a mission will understand......HAPPY and SADDDDDDDDDDDDDD. 

Bueno..... 

Vidal passed the sacrament this Sunday for the first time! And he was so nervous, but did a great job. It was such a happy moment in my life. We also were able to go to the temple with him. Seeing him get baptized for his dad and brother is something that I will truly never forget. I know that Heavenly Father gave me this opportunity at the end of my mission for a reason. Vidal is an amazing person, and I feel like we have done truly nothing. He is so in-tune with the Spirit that it amazes me.

This week, we have been focusing on helping the people progress that have baptism dates: Valentina, Mijail, and Maria Elena. None of them came to church this week, which was kind of disappointing. However, we did see a miracle. The mom of a recent convert in the ward told us that she was finally ready to be baptized! Her name is Adriana Baya. She comes to church every week with her daughters, but never wanted to talk to us. This week, we randomly decided to stop by her house, and she told us that she was ready. That she had seen a change in the lives of her daughters, and that she now knows that the church is true. I ALMOST FAINTED WHEN I HEARD (because I was with Hermana Baltazar in Vinto on intercambios...). The Lord is always preparing people.... 

I just want to end my last letter with a scripture: Alma 26:12. I am nothing. I am so weak. More weak than you all can imagine. However, through the strength of the Lord I can do ALL THINGS. I can go home and face the Goliaths that I am afraid of. I have been able to see so many miracles in my mission. The Lord loves me so much. Everyone says that the mission is like paying a tithing of your life. I dont think so, because He has put me even more in debt with Him through the outpouring of His blessings and mercy in my life! 

I love you all. Thank you for all being such a support to me. SEE YOU VERY SOON! 

For the last time, 

Hermana Zoutsong 

Happy Friendship Day!

HELLOOOOOOOOOO! FELIZ DÎA DE AMISTAD!!!!!!

LES QUIERO MUCHO!

ESTOY TAN AGRADECIDA A MI PADRE CELESTIAL POR HABERME DADO UNA FAMILIA Y AMIGOS COMO USTEDES. 

SIGAN ADELANTE!

Whats up? 

- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEPHANIE DALTON! I LOVE YOU! 

- I dont know why Kyle calls me the spicy trunky taco when that person would be DAD! hahahahah 

- It was a great week. I had two intercambios with two really cool sisters, Hermana Wilson and Hermana Padron. I love being with the sisters. They help me endure to the end with their desires to work as hard as possible. 

- I found this week that Satan works really hard at the end of it all. I can feel him working really hard on me, trying to make me feel down and have negative feelings. But when I read my scriptures and pray, I feel a peace enter into my heart. Analyzing this has really given me a testimony of the little things that we need to do to have the strength to overcome his temptations. Pray, study, go to church. Those are the basics, but they are the most important. 

- Our new ward mission leader is fuego. He is so ready to work and help us. I am so excited to see the progress that we can make in this ward, even though I have little time left here. I want to help the ward be stronger before I leave it. 

- Vidal is doing great! He got his temple reccommend this week, and he is SO EXCITED! The temple was closed, so we are going to try to go again this next week.

- Mijail is doing okay. He feels unprepared for his baptism and told us that he wanted to wait a year. WUT?! That shocked us. We told him that he needed to pray about is baptism date. He hasnt done that yet. We are praying for a miracle. He is literally the perfect mormon. 

- It is getting so hot here! Prepare yourselves, dad and Kayla. You hate the heat. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK! 

Hermana Routsong

Fotos

- VIDAL WITH HIS TEMPLE RECOMMEND! He goes, "LOOK, HERMANA!" and whips it out, with the hugest smile on his face. It was a great day. 

- So there is a TGITuesdays here, so we went as a zone. It was the first time that I had ever gone. I was SO EXCITED TO TRY THEIR MILKSHAKE. And it was pretty much like chocolate milk.... lets just say that I now know the first thing that I am going to eat when I get home. heheheheheh So that is my sad face with my milkshake.

Feliz Dia Cochabamba!!!!

I forgot to write las week in my big letter:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTHEW!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE AND JAKE!

HOW IS EVERYONE DOING? You better all eat some bolivian food today because it is DIA DE COCHABAMBA! Basically an excuse to stuff yourself with food. I dont know how they do it here! Hahahahah

It has been a great week! 

We saw many miracles. We have been teaching a joven named Mijaíl. He is amazing. Since the first week that we met him, knocking on his door, he has come to church early to partake of the sacrament and learn more. He has a baptism date for the 2nd of October. He always surprises us, too! He just seems to sneak in when we dont notice! But he is always there. It makes me so happy to see him progressing. Today, we went with the youth in the Ward to play volleyball and he came! The ward is really frienshipping him, and I know that he feels more comfortable at church each week.

Anther miracle! So we were without a ward mission leader for a little while, but just this Sunday, they called Hermano Tapia to help us. HE IS SO COOL! That same day, we went to teach with us for 2 hours, and he helped us with the activity that we had that afternoon. The Lord is blessing us. I am way excited.

I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT WEEK!

Hermana Routsong 

Happy Birthday Kyle Boy!!

You are so old....

What did you do for your birthday?! It is weird having a birthday on the mission, huh? But enjoy it, because you will never forget this day. 

How was everyone`s week?! I cannot believe that it is September........ it freaks me out. Time moves by so fast.

We had a great week this week!
We have been working really hard with an investigator named Mijail. He is 22 years old, and is so nice. We found him while knocking doors, and invited him to come to church and have another lesson. He agreed! But the lesson was in the next week, and we were afraid that he would forget. BUT HE DIDNT! And the next Sunday, he magically showed up at church! So we taught him again this week about the Book of Mormon and felt impressed to invite him to be baptized onOctober 2. My companion was just about to invite him, when he had to leave the room for a minute. Then she told me it was my turn. So, when he came back, I invited him to be baptized, and he was totally zoning out and everying! Shoot! But we were not going to let the feeling go, so I invited him one more time, and he said "OF COURSE". We were shocked..... He came to church and everything, and his now progressing. We were thinking about that lesson, and realized that if we hadnt been persistent and follow the promptings of the Spirit, we would never have invited him. Satan was working so hard for him not to hear that invitation! It was a cool experience. I am excited to see how he progresses.

Other than that, we are still working with a less active named Aldo Quisbert who was struggling to be able to feel the impressions of the Spirit. He knew logically that the church was true, but that wasnt enough. This week, after reading countless talks that we have been reading from Bednar about conversion, he told us that he finally is feeling again. He said it felt like is 2nd conversion. I almost cried in that lesson. It is amazing to see the power of the Spirit in people`s lives. A testimony isnt enough. We have to feel it and live it. And that is what he was lacking. How cool is it to be able to see the change in people`s lives?!

Other news....

- I am still losing my memory and can remember NOTHING.

- My pension made us quinoa all week, so we were happy. 

-My companion is my twin. She literally is exactly like me. Every single day, slowly become more alike. 

- I had my last interview with President Hansen. He told me that he was so happy that he decided to keep me in my area so that I could see Vidal`s baptism. 

... I cannot remember anything else..... I am telling you, I feel like an old lady because I cannot remember anything!

Pero todo bien.

LOVE YOU ALL

Hermana Routsong

Photos....

- It was Vidal´s second day as a member. They had no normal candles.... so we bought ghetto candles.

- Me holding a nasty pidgeon.

Love them

chinese food

A cute Cholita

Intercambio tradition

holding a pigeon

Waiting for English Class

Cuties

Quinoa for lunch

Mission leader Hermano Medrano

I had to climb up to tie the tree up so it wouldn't fall on the house