FELIZ ANO NUEVO!

Dec 31st 2016...my journal entry!

Wow- the last day of 2016! This year has flown by. I can't believe that at this time last year, I was finishing up my mission papers, and now, look at me! I'm a missionary in Salta Argentina! Looking back at this past year, I have learned A LOT. I have changed...for the better. Some of the things that I have learned

1) I am SO blessed. Why? Because I have the gospel and because I have an amazing family. I am so grateful to have a testimony of this restored gospel. To know that I am a daughter of God, that I have a purpose, and that even though I am going to face trials, I know I can overcome them with the help of my Savior. I have come to know and truly appreciate the tender mercies of the atonement. I feel so blessed to have been able to spend 7 months of this past year dedicated to serving my Heavenly Father. I have witnessed so many miracles in the short time that I have been in Argentina. The mission truly is the best! I have learned to forget myself and my problems and devote myself to doing His will. There truly is no greater joy than to share the gospel. To watch how the gospel can bring hope, peace, love and joy into people's lives. But the most amazing thing about the mission? As I have helped and watched people become converted unto Christ and His gospel, I have become converted. My love for my Savior and His gospel has deepened. I am happier! I know that my happiness comes from knowing who I am, what my purpose is and where I want to go. I am so grateful that I have 2017 to keep sharing this happiness.

2) I have realized in the mission how much I love my family. I have been blessed with the best when it comes to families. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and of course my siblings and parents. I wish I knew how I could thank my parents for all that they have done for me....words just aren't enough. I'm so grateful for their examples, for their sacrifices and for their unconditional love  and support. I love you family!

I used to hate New Year´s because it was a time that I set goals that I never completed.. like lose weight, be more organized, and things like that. But in the mission I have realized how important it is to set goals. EVERY DAY we are setting goals... like how many people we want to teach... but these aren`t just numbers.. they reflect our desires.  Behind those numbers are PEOPLE, sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, and I have noticed as I have set higher goals I have been able to accomplish more... the Lord truly does help when we have righteous goals.

One goal I have for 2017, is I want to come to KNOW my Savior.  I have made specific goals that will help me grown closer to HIM.  By the end of my mission I want to be able to say with no doubts that not only do I know about my Savior, but I KNOW him. 

We are having a little rough patch in my area right now.. we are focusing on finding people... So we spend a lot of time looking for referrals or working with families that aren`t all members. Each day I pray that I will be able to find and recognize the people that are waiting for the gospel.

I am so ready and so excited for 2017. I know that it is going to be a year full of memories, good and bad. But I know that it is during those hard times when we truly come to rely on the Lord. I am grateful for the trials that I have gone through because it has made me that much stronger. Oh, and today we spent New Years Eve in Limache, the area that my companion was in before. We ate SO MUCH! Also, I finally received my Christmas package from my Mom! Hermana Hill, Hermana Mejia and my compa Hermana Bohorquez all got pajamas from mi madre! They were so happy and grateful. I couldn't help get a little emotional as I read letters from family and all the notes from the ward members! Thank you so much! Thank you for your prayers and your love and support! Thank you to my Gma and Gpa Ho Ching for the gift card! WooHoo!

I hope that 2017, we can all set goals. Goals that will push us to be a little better temporally and spirtiually. I know that if they are righteous goals, with the help of our Heavenly Father, we can accomplish them!

Oh, and fun fact, for new years, everyone sets off fireworks at midnight. We went to the top of our apartment building and watched and it was AMAZING! SO MANY!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! FELIZ ANO NUEVO!

Con amor,
Hermana Norman

Christmas PJs...a tradition at home that mi madre couldn't let me go without. Muchos gracias...

Cause I don't hike enough...right!

Repping my Ho Ching family! Love you all!

Hermana Mejia and I

We did this little trip a few weeks ago...new compas, so went again. Me, Mejia, Bohorquez and Hill

New Years Eve dinner

Me and my compa, Hermana Bohorquez

Here's to another awesome year! CHEERS!

A "WHITE" Christmas....

Wow! I can`t believe that Christmas has come and gone.. but that definitely doesnt mean that we should stop thinking about Jesucristo.  If you think about it, everyday can be Christmas! But everyday I dont get the opportunity to Skype my family!! It was so good to see my family. Many tears were shed.. but happy tears! After finishing the call, I was so content and overwhelmed with gratitude.  Grateful for the amazing family that I have been blessed with, and so content that I am EXACTLY where I need to be right now.  

I was asked by Presidente to give a talk at our mission wide Christmas conference this past Thursday. I was so nervous and stressed about it, especially because I gave it in Spanish. But I got many compliments afterwards and I think that has finally helped me realize that I CAN speak Spanish! jajaja 

It was truly amazing to have a Christmas in the mission. My Mom's huge package that she sent is lost out there somewhere. There wasn`t a lot of presents given, but I didn`t even think twice about receiving anything. I just wanted to focus on the true meaning of Christmas...the real gift. CHRIST!

We had a baptism Christmas Eve! Brian was baptized!  He was confirmed Christmas day.  So even though there isn`t any snow here in Argentina, and I am currenly sweating to death, we were able to have a "WHITE" Christmas (:  Just being able to light the world during this past month has been so special. I have seen many miracles! Some day I hope that I would have enough time to write about them. 

Transfers were today and I said good bye to Hermana Alvarez. She was transferred and I received a new companion, Hermana Borhoqez. She is from Bolivia and has been in the mission for 9 months. So we are going to work hard to meet new people and helping them find hope through the gospel!

I love you all, and thank you so much for the love and support!

Con Amor,

Hermana Norman

Christmas dinner with Presidente

Gifts sent from family...my momma's package wasnt' there!

Christmas devotional that I spoke at

Elders got a hold of my camera

Christmas at our apartment

Our ward Christmas dinner

Brian's baptism!!!

other baptisms for Christmas

So happy for him!

With Presidente

Dessert made for baptism

Hermana Alvarez! Going to miss her!

Christmas dinner...chicken....

....Pork.....

....Beef and potatoes!

What a spread!

Hermana Quintana had us for dinner

Christmas Sunday....last day with Hermana Alvarez

Hermana Lanier is comps with a mini missionary who went home to spend Christmas with her family. So we got to have her all day Christmas with us!

Had the opportunity to go to an old folks home to sing Christmas carols. The conditions were bad, smelly with no air conditioning. So sad, but thankful to uplift their spirits for a moment.

Esta será la mejor Navidad de todos!

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Feliz Navidad all the way from beautiful Argentina!!

This past week was full of Christmas miracles!

Our Korean investigator, Francisco, got baptized!! He never felt really confident about being baptized.. he always got nervous when we talked about baptism... we told him to pray and then open up the BOM to find an answer... the next morning (Saturday) he told us that he received an answer and wanted to be baptized. He got baptized at 3! It was incredible to be able to witness his conversion, and to see the difference in him after his baptism.  He had a light in his eyes, and I know without a doubt that it was the Light of Christ.  

Francisco's big day!

We have been having a lot of activities to ``Ilumina el Mundo`` , and it has been such a cool experience.  We were able to go to a park, set up a TV, and we had the Light The World video playing on replay.. many people stopped, watched, and even cried as they watched the video of Christ.  It was incredible.  It didn`t matter what religion they were from, they could feel the spirit as they watched the video.  Needless to say we were able to find many people to teach just because of a simple, yet powerful video about Christ.

I know without a doubt that Jesus is the Christ, this is His church, and I know that He lives.

With love,

Hermana Norman

We had a live nativity outside after the baptism. It was INCREDIBLE!

I obviously didn't get the pink memo...jajajaja

When you know....

At our mission office

This past week has been amazing!

We had interviews with President Chaparro, and I know that this man is called of God and can receive revelation for us as missionaries.  Everything that he told me in my interview was EXACTLY what I needed to hear.  I really liked what he said about power and authority.

As a missionary, I have been set apart, and I have received and been given the right to this authority, but to recieve the power,  I need to do my part. I need to be exactly obedient. I need to study diligently every day. I need to pray for the guidance and help of the holy ghost. I need to be the missionary that Heavenly Father wants me to be.  But most importantly, I need to have the faith and confidence in HIM.  As I have applied these things and as I have relied more on the spirit, we have seen a lot of miracles!

We have found several inactive, part member families. The thought of completing a family in the gospel and giving them the opportunity to come back and hopefully one day be sealed in the temple just excites me. I can't imagine anything better for them. 

We are also helping our friend who changed his mind on baptism at the last second. He is meeting with us again and thinking about baptism again. We are being patient and letting him make that progress in his own time. We are there to help and just want whats best for him.

Please continue with the Light the World initiative that our leaders have been inspired to share with us at this time. I challenge everyone to reach outside of your circles and help someone, uplift them and strengthen them. Help them come to know that they are a child of God. Light the world calendar

Thank you all for the love and support. Merry Christmas and hope your holidays are filled with peace and joy!

Con Amor,

Hermana Norman

PS Shout out to my cousin, Tupu Loo! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Hope you have an awesome day. You have been such a great example to me. So lucky to have you to look up to!

My zone

my girls

My comp and I

Today we got to go play paddle ball with the APs and office elders....Gpa I will be ready for pickleball when I get back! jajajaja