The Happy Day at Last has Come

I am finding some gems while Im looking for email titles in the hymnbook. haha! I found this hymn and I thought! How perfect to describe the baptism of Hermana Fidelia :) Her baptism was super sweet. A ton of members came to support and we helped her to her hair and she said she felt like a queen! She cried tears of joy when she got out of the water and I felt so happy that she finally received this saving ordinance of baptism! She is such a sweetheart and even thought she has hardly anything she gives all that she has! I want to be more like her one day.

The other family that got baptised is an awesome family that the elders have been teaching for months! They have come to chrch every sunday for months and couldnt be baptised until they were married. They finally raised enough money to be marriend and got baptised finally! They have become good friends of mine especially Liz the mom of the family. She sits next to me in relief society every sunday :) I am so happy for every one of them! It total we had 7 people get baptised in our district this week. It was amazing! I am super proud of all of our hard work. 

We found an old man in the street this week who was cry ing and we asked him if we could do something to help him and he asked us to pray with him. We prayed right there in the street and he was so grateful that he said he was going to come to church. I didnt give it much thought because they always say they will come but... HE CAME!!! I couldnt believe it! We are now going to start teaching him. His name is nicholas. 

I love this area tons. I am learning a lot and I am loving my mission. My companion is seriously the best! She might be new in the mission but she is so prepared and she is a powerful teacher! It makes training so much easier.

Next week we are having a General Authority come to the mission and its a suprise as to who it is going to be, but Im excited and then right after I will be traveling to Iquitos for leaders council to talk about the needs of the mission! Lots of fun things are coming up. 

I hope oyu all have a great week! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! They really do help so much. 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Toponce

Today, While the Sun Shines

So this week has been great! It has been super sunny and we have been a little sunburned, but happier as ever. We have found so many new investigators, so many that our zone leaders asked us what we have been doing becasue they want us to train the zone! I am so happy with the work we were able to do this week :)

We were in a motokar this week and the roads have been horrible and there was a giant mound of dirt in the middle of the road blocking our path and isntead of turning around to find another way the motokarista went straight over in and almost tipped us over. I was a little terrified but we made it out alive! Im glad we didnt get hurt... I have learned to be more careful choosing a motokar to go it!

We found an adorable sister named Fidelia who is going to be baptised this Saturday. She has been coming to church for years, but she isnt baptised! She started coming one day and everyone thought that she was a member but it turns out she hasnt been baptised so we are going to baptise her! I am so happy that she will finally get baptised and recieve this saving ordinance. 

We were contancting and we walked by a house and I had the hymn famillies can be together forever pop into my head and we decided to knock on the door and sure enough an adorable family opened the door and we are now teaching them! They have accepted baptism and will be baptised in May! All we have to do is help them prepare and come to church. Their names are Hani and Armando and they have so much excitement about the gospel. I am so happy that God led us to them. 

We are also teaching a man named Osler. Its the future stepdad of my recent convert Junior!! Osler had a dream six months ago that he wasnt prepared to meet god and he prayed so that his family could accept the wordof god in their home and sure enough we baptised junior and now Osler is getting married and baptised in May as well. I am so excited for him and for his whole family. I know that god prepared Osler so that he could accept the gospel at this time and I know we were guided to find him as well. 

I have loved the work this week and I cant believe that we have accomplished so much! We are going to baptise! I just know it! We just have to keep working hard to prepare them :) I know that this gospel is true. I know that God has a plan and I know without a doubt that He prepares His children to recieve this restored gospel. I am so happy to be a missionary!

I hope you all have a fantastic week and look for ways to share the gospel!! I also want to hear your experiences!

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Toponce

no pictures again..... next week I promise!!!!!

Help Me Teach With Inspiration

So I have a new favorite Hymn, which is the title of this email. I dont remember how it is in english but the spanish version made me cry tears of happiness because I loved iot so much! I love it becasue it talks about the help we need from God to be able to do His work. It helped me a lot this week!

We are trying to find new investigators because our other investigators got baptised... so weve been walking alot and knocking on doors and the best is that it has been raining so ive been able to use my rainboots!! Everything is covered in mud, but we have found a bunch of really fun people that were going to start teaching this week! I love finding new people to teach!! 

I feel ike we were guided this week to be where we needed when we needed to be there,. There were three times this week that our Investigators said "How did you know that you needed to visit me right now? I needed you!" and than we visited a recent convert named Mari and she said the same! I was so happy that we were able to help them feel Gods love in the right moment. I felt happy becasue I got to comfort those whe were in need of comfort and cry with them and help them feel charity. Moments like this dont happen very often in life, but Im glad that I get to experience them here in the mission. 

The most special to me was being able ot hear all that my Pansionista had to go through to become a member of the church and hear that she had to sacrifice so much. She started crying and I cried with her and just shared with her my testimony of the Savior. It was so special to me and I know the spirit guided my words. 

I feel like I am learning a lot more about Jesus Christ with my new assignments. I was reading in 3 Nephi this week in chapter 17 when Jesus is blessing the Nephite children and I fel the Saviors love so strongly when I read verse 21. He blessed the children one by one. This is something that I have been trying to do here in my mission. Love as the savior did and bless peoples lives one by one. I have seen a big change in my ability to serve this week thanks to this scripture!

I know that God loves us and that He sent His son Jesus Christ. I know that they love EACH of us and bless EACH of us with what we need. 

Con Mucho Amor, 

Hermana Toponce

no pictures... they didnt want to load!!

Come Follow Me

This week has been a really humbling one for me. I got a phonecall on MOnday night from Presidente Li and we had a phonecall interview, and at the end of the interview he asked me if I would be willing to be the new sister Leader here in Pucallpa. It shocked me because I really didnt think I would get this assignment, but I am now the new Sister Leader and I am super excited/nervous about it. 

Part of my calling is that I have to participate in mission council so I had to travel to Iquitos to go. It is a council of the zone leaders and the sister leaders, president, and the assistants. We go to talk about mission goals and come up with new ideas to better the mission. I was such a neat experience, and it helped me to see even more the importance of the little things we do in the mission. 

While in Iquitos I also picked up my new companion. IM TRAINING!! and I am so excited about it! My new companions name is Sister Montero. She is from Santa Cruz Bolivia, and se is 20. She reminds me a lot of my little sister Abbie because she is super smiley and is super excited to get to work! I cant wait for our transfer together. 

Right when we got back from Iquitos we had to plan Karinas baptism (on friday night) and she got baptised this SAturday!!! It was such a beautiful baptism! Her and her sun Gabriel both got baptised and their testimonies after were so sweet. They both cried tears of joy and so did I. I am so grateful that I go tto be here to see it, and my companion was super excited because it was her first baptism! 

I am so excited for these new assignments, and I know that God is helping me to learn even more. I love the mission! I love being able to change peoples lives and help them come to know the restored gospel. I know that I am going to be strengthened in this transfer because God helps wak things become strong, and qualifies whom He calls.

I love you all so much!! Keep choosing the right and God will guide oyur paths :)

COn mucho amor, 

Hermana Toponce

In Our Lovely Deseret

What a lovely, lovely week I have had. I had such a spirit filled week full of learning and I am so grateful that we have  a living prophet to guide us in these latter days. My life was changed this conference and I know without a doubt that the changes made were inspired by God. I cant wait to see all of the great things that are coming up in the church! My favorite part was how often the speakers talked about staying on the covenant path. It is such a beautiful eternal truth and I am so grateful that I have this time ot be here to help people start their journey on the gospel path through baptism. 

Speaking of baptism Karina and her son Gabriel are gettin gbaptised this saturday and they are super excited! They came to conference on saturday and sunday and they loved it os much! She has really changed a lot. 

We had a beautiful oportunity to have a baptism in our zone for 16 people! I literally felt heaven smiling down on the stakecenter this friday and these great people enterend into the waters of baptism. One of them was Lita, a sweet sister we found while ocntacting. We taught her the first lesson and knew that she would be baptised! The sad part is that when we walked out of her house we realized that it was barely out of our area and had to pass her reference to the elders!!! NO! but The best part is that she ended up getting baptised and we got to be there :) 

This week I will be finding out who my new companion is and if I get to stay in this area. I am excited to see what will be happening. I love this area, and my mission! Its the best thing I have ever decided to do and I am so grateful for the restored gospel! I know it is true. Keep stong on the gospel path and have a fantastic week! 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Toponce