The Final Countdown!

I think this was the best weekend of my whole mission. Way too many stories to tell and things to share.

Best part?

Vianey, Ashley, Chelsea, and Nicole were baptized. They had the biggest smiles on their faces. It was beautiful. I was so happy.

The second best part: I got to go on Divisions every day last week. It was so fun to be with the sisters and working hard in their areas.

I had the best moment with Sister Thompson. We were able to help a sister get baptized. Alma didn't want to get baptized until June 20th. She wanted more time, but her husband Octavio wanted her to get baptized with him on May 30th. When I arrived at their area I knew we had a lot of work to do...

We started the lesson and Alma pulled every excuse out of the book. WE tried so hard to help her understand that she would keep learning and growing in the church and that everything would be fine. But she just wouldn't budge. We finally got to a point and I felt like we had lost the lesson and, then I had a feeling to share Jesus Christ's baptism (the video) I looked at sister Thompson as I opened the DVD player and she whispered 'the baptism of Jesus Christ?' I said, "yes", I knew it was right.

We shared the video and everything changed. Sister Thompson asked her if she would like to follow the example of Jesus Christ. She said, yes, so I asked will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized tomorrow with your husband? and she said yes.

We all cried. It was the most beautiful moment that I have had in a long time.

We scheduled her interview for 7 o'clock that night and then we called the assistants to arrange it with their zone leaders.

Hermana Alma was baptized on Saturday. The sisters told me it was beautiful!

I love being a missionary. It really is the best. I am sad that it comes to an end this week. I already asked the President if I could stay longer twice and he told me no. I know that I need to come home and do other things. But I am so grateful for my mission and for all that I have learned. I am grateful that the Lord has changed me, I am grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ. and for His help in all that I have done here. I have changed 100 percent, and I am so grateful for that. I know that this is where I needed to be for this time. Every minute of my mission has been worth it. I love Jesus Christ and I love his gospel. I know this work is real. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the church of Jesus Christ.

I love you all and I guess I will be seeing most of you soon.

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Riedelbach 

AHHH!

Well, I don't have any time to write today. I am doing well!

In 20 minutes, we have 4 baptismal interviews. So, I am so excited for that. My last Saturday and Sunday in the mission will be the best!

I feel like there isn't a lot to say, because in 12 days I will be talking to you all in person! WHAT!!!

I love you all tons!

Hermana Riedelbach 

Time Goes By Too Fast!

This week was so good! We set 4 baptismal dates!  Woot!

VIANEY, CHELSEA, NICOLE, ASHLEY: They are a mom daughter family! We contacted their Dad in a taxi and he said we could go to his house. He wasn't there, but his wife said we could go in and visit her. So we taught her and we went back again and she loved it!

This week Vianey sat down and said ¨"I prayed and asked if the Book of Mormon is true like you told me to. And I told God that if it was true that I wanted to feel different, and then I did feel different. I took that as my answer. I know that it's true."

Ok. We couldn't believe it. Ashley and Nicole are 10 years old and Chelsea is 9. They are superstars. They are reading the Book of Mormon and praying. They were scheduled to get baptized this week, but Hermana Vianey's husband told them that he didn't want them to go because he didn't work and wanted to be with them. They looked so sad. I can't tell you how sad we were as well, so their date is getting pushed back to May 30th! Please pray for them

MIRELLA: She is progressing well. She isn't married, but we plan on helping her with that! She loves the Book of Mormon and loves going to church! She is dynamite!

I can't believe that the time is going by so fast! Today we moved houses and I started packing for real. It's so weird. I love you all and hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Hermana Elise Riedelbach 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Well, I don't have a lot of time, nor a lot to say.  I feel like I said everything yesterday when I got to chat with my family!

But, Happy Mother's Day to all the great women and mother's in my life!  I love you all!

We had two investigators come to the Mothers Day activity in our ward on Saturday. And then another one came to church on Sunday! Woot!

Vianey accepted a baptismal date for May 23rd and is so excited!  We are excited as well!

Mirella is super awesome. She prayed in Church yesterday and it was so beautiful! I am so happy for her. Her baptismal date should be coming up real soon... (hopefully we will have progress by Monday!) She is a reference from a less active and now they both are coming to church! Miracles :)

I will continue to work really hard this week and the rest of my mission to see what else we can do to in our area!

I love you all! Thanks for all of the support!  It means a lot!

Hermana Riedelbach

p.s. My companion threw me a surprise party this week for reaching18 months. She followed the Mexican tradition, I got my face smashed in the cake! MORDIDA!!  

Tortillas de Harina y Pastel de Zanahoria

This week was so good!

Thursday: We had mission council! I learned so much. Our President is the best ever, and his wife Sister Morales, she is the best teacher. I have grown to love them as my parents. We talked a lot about a lot of things, but two things that I loved were. Our families, they made a movie with pictures of all our families and I was so taken back about how many families have let their sons and daughters serve the Lord, but then how many families are going to be able to be together forever because of the service that all of the missionaries have given. I felt the overwhelming love of our Savior as I watched all of our families pass by. I love my family and am so grateful for all that they have done for me and all that they have sacrificed so that I could be here.

The Book of Mormon: as a council we all decided that the mission should all read the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel in 2 transfers. But as I will have 18 months on Wednesday, I have less time. My goal is to finish it from cover to cover in one month. I have learned so much in these 4 days that I have been reading it again. More than I think I ever have. I read 25 pages today and tonight I will be reading another 25. I am determined to read it a second time in Spanish. My testimony has grown for sure! I learn something new on each page. I love it! I have already received a ton of answers to my prayers.

I would like to extend the invitation to you all. 3 months to read the Book of Mormon. I know you can all do it!

Friday: We had Zone Meeting, I got to go to the other Zone that I am in charge of to help teach the class. That zone is awesome. We all had a great time and learned a lot.

Sunday: We found an awesome family to teach and I am sure that they will all progress. The moms name is Vianey and she is super excited to hear from us and to go to church. We are stoked for our lesson with them Wednesday!

Today: We made flour tortillas and carrot cake with a family in our ward. They are super awesome. It was a good day!

I love being a missionary and the thought that I should be getting on a plane on Monday to come home scares me, I am so glad I extended and have more time here in Mexico, I feel like I still have a lot to do here in my mission, but I know that it all has to come to an end sometime. 

I love you all so much!

Hermana Riedelbach 

A Week Full of Faith

This week may have been one of the most faith-filled weeks that I have ever had in my whole mission.

I wish I had time to detail everything out, but I don't so, here are the main points of the story.

Estefania: We wanted her to get baptized so bad, we had so much faith that she could do it, and well, she didn't know that we knew that she didn't want to get baptized. We weren't really planning on it or anything, and then the President called us on Tuesday night and told us that we needed to do everything in our power so that she could get baptized on her birthday.

AHH.

We had no idea what to do, but we started planning everything, we even made invitations. Then we went to her house and we had the most spiritual lesson ever.  THE SPIRIT WAS SO STRONG and it wouldn't go away. We showed her the invitations and she couldn't stop smiling. AHH, but then it came to the part where we ask her to be baptized. She was so happy. Then she pulled out all of her doubts. Mainly tithing, I said why don't we just pray and ask God if you should be baptized?

So we prayed.

We asked her how she felt and she said that we needed to give her a call at 5pm to find out her answer.

We left, full of faith. (James 2:17) So we told the members, we made decorations. WE DID EVERYTHING. Acting on our faith, right? We spent the whole day planning a baptism.

5 o'clock rolled around and she wouldn't answer her phone. We called and called and called, and nothing.

Her baptism was scheduled for 8:30pm.

8:30 rolled around and still nothing.

8:45 and SHE ANSWERED! But, she said that she still didn't understand tithing, so she wasn't going to be baptized.

9:15 we finish talking to her and trying to help her understand tithing, but it's late and all the members went home.

Even though, it didn't go the way we wanted or how we felt like it would I learned so much and I know we did EVERYTHING in our power to help her get baptized. We didn't fail, we just have to keep trying. We talked to the President about it and he said that we did everything right.

I love the trails that help us learn and to grow. I have never prayed so hard and fasted so much in one week to see a miracle happen. It wasn't the miracle I wanted, but something changed inside of me.

I know Heavenly Father loves us and helps us learn and grow according to what we need and not what we want.

I love you all! Have a great week!

Hermana Riedelbach

Back to Palenque!

This week was full of surprises! Good ones and bad ones :)

On Tuesday, the President called me and told me that he had a favor to ask of me. He told me that he needed me to go back down to help the sisters in Palenque. I accepted, and my companion and I headed out Wednesday morning. We traveled 7 hours by bus and arrived in Palenque Wednesday night. I was able to work with Sister Lowe and her companion Sister Mancilla from Colombia. It was so much fun, but a lot of work. I was able to show them around my old area.

Palenque is a little hard to figure out because the houses don't have numbers. So, Hermana Lowe and Mancilla couldn't find a lot of our old investigators, we were able to show them around the area. My companion worked with Hermana Solis and Hermana Pérez. It was a lot of work, but we learned a lot. We headed back Thursday and then got to our area Friday morning.

Me and my companion

Saturday Estefania had her baptismal interview and well, because of some doubts that she had we will have to postpone her baptism. But, we went to one of investigators houses Saturday morning and had an awesome lesson! Her husband was even there and they really want to progress. They both came to church yesterday and the Bishop went to visit them with us last night. They are amazing. I know that they are ready. Nancy's brother is a Bishop here in Coatzacoalcos and he went with us on Saturday. He really is the best person ever. An Elder told me that he was the best man in all of México. I fully believe that. He is so humble and willing to help out. He changed his life completely when he got baptized, and has an earnest testimony of the Gospel.

Things are going well here in Tesoro. We are opening this area so it's a lot of work, but we have a lot of fun doing it. The members here are truly golden, I have met a lot of people during my mission but these people are full of love for everyone, and do anything and everything for us and our investigators.

Something else that is super cool:

When I was in Villahermosa I got to go back and work in Lindavista. I got to go see Casandra and I got to go visit a less active family that we activated in the church. We just happened to get there on the best night, The brother Esdras, had just gotten his mission call! I can't believe it. He got called to Chihuahua. He even let me open his mission call for him! Don't worry, I glued it back together so that he could open it the next day with his family and friends. This is what missionary work is about. I am so proud and happy for him, he will make a great missionary!

Well, I hope you all have a fantastic week! I love you all so very much :)

Hermana Riedelbach