Miracles

So this one is going to be a quickey!

This week was insanely fast and slow all at the same time. On Monday I.....had a really bad pain in my right shoulder that started spreading to my neck (due to a bike crash I had earlier last week) and ended up going to the doctor on Tuesday. He told me that I just had a interscapular muscle strain (or something like that) and prescribed a muscle relaxant pill, some type of antibiotic, and told me to rest for 2 weeks. Which means NO BIKE. At first, I was not too happy about that because we live half an hour from our area (sounds just like El Salvador, right?) and our area is ginormongous! But....God is blessing us with miracles.

I had two really powerful lessons this week. (Hence why I said we're being blessed with miracles.) One of our investigators, N_____, is starting to progress. She opened up and told us many things about her past and she shared her fears and she started crying and it was just....wonderful. She has so much trust in us and told us that she had never told anyone that stuff before. She also prayed at the end! We've been working three weeks on that! (Sister Perez and I. Her previous companion and her had also tried that before I came....) And she finally did it!!!! Talk about complete happiness. :)

The other lesson was actually with a less-active sister. Oh my stars--is she having trials or what?! But I told her that it's all in the Lord's plan and that He is giving her ample opportunity to turn to Him and receive more of His love and strength. We sang "Be Still My Soul" (which by the way is quickly becoming my new favorite hymn) and I about died from being overwhelmed with the Spirit. I sure hope and pray that she could feel it, too! There's a reason why we sing hymns in the Church. They invite the Spirit and the Lord can speak to us through the words....

The last miracle of the week. Because I went to the doctor, and my companion had some health problems, our area has been a little neglected this week. AND we're on foot, so we're not doing as much as we normally do. Anyway after lunch, we were going around, trying to contact people and we had a bunch of downers. We also tried talking to a couple of our investigators, but they weren't home. I was feeling so....pesada. There was one man in the park that just really got me. I testified with all my heart, might, mind, and strength, but he still went away thinking that he didn't need a Savior to save him. I (we) owe EVERYTHING to Jesus Christ. How can people not see that? It doesn't matter how good I am or how close-to-perfect I might be, I can never take myself to God's presence. I will never taste of exaltation if it weren't for my Redeemer and His selfless sacrifice.

Anyway, we were going to go and try to visit one of our more positive investigators and I was praying with all my heart that Heavenly Father could help us find a new investigator. Sister Perez has been sick and we hadn't been able to go out to work for two days. Our contacting numbers were horribly low and we had ZERO news. I was pretty down on myself. Well, just as I was praying in my heart specifically for that, I saw two women and a boy shoveling, what looked like dirt, off the sidewalk, closer to their house. I stopped and offered our service and at first it looked like they weren't going to accept. Then Sister Perez jumped in, grabbed a shovel and told the boy that he needed a break. I stopped and started talking with the mom.

Well. This lady.....I was meant to meet her. I've already set up an appointment to help her tile her floor and paint the office. She's......got this amazing story and she has four children--all over the age of 8. I was able to talk a little bit about our service as missionaries and a little about the Church. It was....amazing! And after we left (The lady, A______, was SUPER happy by the way....), I was in the best mood ever. I started talking fearlessly with everyone. The next few lessons we had were fantastic and I couldn't believe the difference in me.

Heavenly Father answers prayers! Especially when we ask for SPECIFIC things (like President Hintze has been telling us....). And He wants us to find His children. We had walked by that place several times before, but never had we talked to her or seen her before. What a miracle.

God will continue to use each of use as His miracle workers. I pray that this week all of you will pray for a specific "missionary experience" and have the courage to do what the Spirit whispers to you. I promise that as you do so, your faith will be strengthened and you will continue to increase in joy and love for others.

Thank you all for your love, prayers, and support. The mission is the best thing that a person can do in life and I hope you all remember that you don't need an actual name tag to serve a mission. We should all have them painted on our hearts like Neil L. Andersen said! I love you all! Have a fabulous week full of miracles!

Love Always,

Hermana McCulloch

Hey y'all!

I don't know if I will send any pictures today. I want to, but there's just not enough time. I'll try to respond to as many people as I can this week, but just know that if I don't get to ya, I still love you. And I'm grateful for your emails and your love and support. And prayers. Especially the prayers. They give us missionaries so much strength!

So this week was long and wonderful. With a lot of miracles and.....funny happenings as well. I will try to be brief for lack of time.

Last P-day we went to a super sketch restaurant for lunch that took 2 hours to get our food (snacks) and took us ten minutes to eat. But I realized how awesome our district is and how much I love all of the missionaries here in Corozal. Especially the sisters. :)

I finally biked up this really steep hill by our house this week. It was quite the accomplishment and made me really happy. The bikes are really exciting. They're a little interesting to adjust to with the skirts, but I'm managing. I did crash on one of the first days here though. That sneaky gravel! But don't worry. My elbow is healing and is leaving some very beautiful battle wounds.... :)

I also got corn rows in my hair thanks to a very talented member in our ward. All of us sister missionaries here were finally looking Belizean! Yeah buddy! I'll see if I can send at least ONE of those pictures.... hehehe It's worth it.

I also received my first invitation to join a band this week. From a bunch of old men that I had just met. One of them actually came to church this week as well. And maybe I would stop and consider it, but they usually play their instruments at the Adventist church, soooooo....probably not a good idea. :)

We were able to watch the Other Side of Heaven this week and I have been thinking about it A LOT. I have a completely different view of it now that I'm a missionary. I understand things a lot better now. There are certain things about life and the gospel that you learn as a missionary. Certain experiences and feelings that you have and can't explain. No one can ever understand unless they have served a mission and gone through the same thing. Hence why some missionaries just seem so.....changed when they get back and don't know how to explain why. It's all part of the conversion process.

I just loved how Elder Groberg at the beginning was asking his companion and various other people why they were doing the things they were doing--why they were serving the Lord. It made me think about a question that Elaine Anderson posed in Sunday School a few months ago--Are we just living a lifestyle or do we live this way because we truly believe this? Every missionary at some point stops to reflect on this and every member should do the same.

I know that this Church is true. I know that Jesus Christ restored it again to the earth in these last days by means of Joseph Smith. I know that as we abide by the precepts and teachings of His gospel, we will be happy in this life and have eternal joy in the next. It is the only way we can return to our Father in Heaven as eternal families. I know that God listens and answers our prayers. And He wants us to return to Him.

I'm grateful for the blessing of being a missionary here in Belize. Hastening the work is an incredible opportunity that all of us have no matter where we are in the world! I am so grateful for all of the good influences that y'all have been on me. I could not be here today without all of your guidance and support. Keep pressing forward and strengthening your trust in God. He is there to guide us.

Love Always,

Hermana McCulloch

Lovin it up in Belize

Well everyone!

I'm just sweatin' it out down here in Belize! But I'm lovin' every minute of it! My area is in a "town" called Corozal, really close to the Mexican border. They speak Spanish, English, and Kriol here, so I'm trying to preach the gospel in all three. It's super crazy, because I'll be teaching in English for two or three hours straight and then bam! We find someone who only speaks Spanish. Yeah..... I'm trying my hardest not to forget the things I've learned in El Salvador. And I'm trying my hardest not to forget my English! The grammar here is horrible! Well....there practically is none. But that's part of the Kriol influence, I'm sure.

I'm really lovin' it here. My area is right by the sea side, so I get to see that beautiful temptation every day. Just the other night my companion and I were riding next to the ocean, heading home from an appointment. The moon was out--nice and bright, big and yellow, just beautiful!--and the light was reflecting on the water. It was an awe-inspiring sight. So my companion told me, "This is perfect for a proposal...." Wow. I thought for sure my companion was getting a little trunky.... ;) haha But it really is beautiful! I love running into tourists here as well, because the majority of them are from the South so I get to here that familiar drawl that I love so much! hehe

The people here are wonderful. I am absolutely in love and I have no idea how I will be able to leave this place. I already know that I will not be finishing my mission here--that I will be ending in El Salvador, but I am just....devastated. Now I have just got to spread as much love as possible in these next few months! :D

So I have a few funny stories. This past week was Sister Patterson's birthday. hehehe I....well....haha There are quite a few frogs here! So I caught one (This was all on a whim by the way. I was not evilly planning this all week long--it just....happened.) and wrapped it up in a cute colored paper box I made and then Sister Perez (my companion) and I gave it to her as an early birthday present the night before. And we filmed it. :D hehehe She thought it was candy or something, so her reaction was HILARIOUS. She was screaming and screaming and screaming and Sister Jensen was, too. But the best part was the facial expressions of Sister Patterson. Don't worry. I've got it all on tape, but I don't think I can email it because it's too big. So you'll just have to wait to see it for another year or so. ;) hehehe It's SO good.

I feel like there was something else that I wanted to share with you, but I honestly can't remember. The people here are really prepared to receive the gospel. It is an entirely different world here and I feel like I'm starting my mission all over. I have to preach the gospel in an entirely different way, not just in a different language. It is SO interesting--the difference between cultures.

But I'm here. I'm safe. I'm in love. And I'm happy. There's nowhere else I'd rather be (except maybe at Lamb Days this week....) and nowhere else I should be.

Thanks for all of your letters/emails and prayers. I love you all and am praying for you as well!

Love Always,

Hermana McCulloch

Transfer

Hey Momma!

This is my surprise email, but I'm already out of time. I was going to send a picture, but I can't figure out how to send it. It's not working on this computer. But yeah....I had transfers. 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So yeah.

You betta Belize-it!