Finish Line

 A few pictures of when I arrived at the airport.

last email!!!

Hey yall!

Wow, it's crazy to think this is my last email! It's been a journey and my time in Uruguay has forever changed my life. I'm not going to lie, it hasn't always been easy but Christ has carried me through every day. I have grown my relationship with my Savior and my Heavenly Father. 

As I reflect back on my time as a missionary, I am so thankful for all the memories. I am thankful for the joy filled and spiritual experiences, as well as the difficult times. Some of the best moments of my life have been here in Uruguay helping people learn about the gospel, but I have also had some of my hardest days here. It has been amazing to see people change their lives completely so that they can receive the blessings God has in store for them. I have met some of my best friends and I know God put then in my path for a reason. I have learned the power of prayer. God is only a prayer away. There are days I can remember on my knees begging God He would give me the strength to continue and He always did. I have also learned to trust in the Lord. I have learned as I give my all to God, He will provide. I have seen so many miracles after the trials of my faith. I am forever grateful for my time here in Uruguay!

This week was such a special last week. We kept working with our amigos Melisa and Johan to prepare them for their baptisms and they both got baptized on Saturday! It was one of the most tender moments of my life. It wasn't easy for them to get to baptism. Melisa had a couple things she had to change so she could live the commandments. She is a testament that Satan works so hard on us before we are about to do something good. This week Satan tried to tempt her so much, but she stayed firm to what she knows. It was so cool hearing her share stories and testifying of the gospel. After their baptisms, both Melisa and Johan gave thier testimonies. It was the sweetest thing. Johan is super shy so we didn't think he would say anything. To our surprise he went up and shared how grateful he was for the man who baptized him and he said they would forever be friends and he started crying. It was so sweet and everyone in the room was in tears. Melisa's testimony was also so powerful. They were both SO happy after! I feel so blessed to have been a small part on their journeys in the gospel. After months of no sucess, God gave us a huge miracle: Melisa and Johan!

I can't put into words everything I want to say, but I love this gospel. Christ lives and loves us. God has a plan for us. Through the gospel we can find pure joy! I'm going to miss being a missionary, it's such a bittersweet moment.

Thanks for following along my journey in Uruguay, see you soon! 

Hermana Neuberger 

Halloween 🎃

Holaaaa!!!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween!

On Tuesday for Halloween Hermana Petersen and I went to Montevideo for a conference. It was fun to see all the homies one more time. We hung out at tres cruces for a couple hours while we were waiting for our bus. I got to see my friend Beatriz from Montevideo and we also saw a lot of trick or treaters. In Uruguay for Halloween the kids go trick or treating to stores and buisnesses, so a mall is the perfect place! That night we carved a squash, because we couldn't find a pumpkin.

We went to visit our friend, Melisa on Wednesday. We had planned to move her baptismal date back, because last time we asked she had dropped smoking to two cigarettes a day. However, at the beginning of the lesson we asked her how she was doing with dropping smoking and she told us she hadn't smoked since last Saturday! She told us she is done with smoking and drinking coffee. We were so hyped, because that means she can get baptized next Saturday! We told her we would do a fast of something until her baptism to help her. We were thinking she would choose chocolate, dulce de leche, or some type of food, but she thought of something even harder, english. So Hermana Petersen and I haven't spoken english since Wednesday...we have been trying to make jokes in spanish, but it's not quite the same. It's been a good time, but I am excited for November 11!

Also, our friend Juan came to church on Sunday with his dad. His dad is a member, and has an illness that makes him weak sometimes. He was sick but still made the effort to come to church with his son. It was so tender. He also gave his testimony at church. Juan should be baptized this Saturday too!

On a sadder note, our friend Alina told us she wants to move her baptism. She is so ready and knows more than anyone I have ever taught, but she wants to be sure of her decision. She has such a strong testimony and even shared it during the meeting on Sunday at church. We are going to try to keep working with her and help her feel ready. 

On a funnier note, we have been having problems with our water since I got here. This week it got even worse and our downstairs neighbors are complaining because our water spills out and runs down their window. It's funny when you have a 90 year old lady knocking on your door, then without asking coming into your house and trying to figure out the problem. After begging the secretaries for weeks, we think they should come fix it tomorrow. We have also come to the point where we can't take showers, but I have decided to face the fear and stand in a bucket.

On Thursday we had zone counsel and interviews with president. Then, Hermana Petersen and I went to Nueva Helvecia for intercambios. I was with one of my old comps Hermana Barlow. It rained the whole day and nobody wanted to talk to us. But, the effort was there and we got torta fritas! It was a fun day!

I love this verse Ether 12:12, " For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith." We have seen so many miracles this week. Our friend Melisa was able to drop smoking because she had the faith in God and He performed a miracle. Our friend Walter was finally able to get work off to come to church, he kept the faith and God did the rest. Juan and his dad were able to come to church after a faith-filled prayer that his dad would have the strength. I feel so blessed God trusts me enough to help the people here in Colonia find peace through the gospel. It's so special to see people come to know their Savior and the miracles only He can perform.

Have a great week!

Hermana Neuberger 

Also, not going to lie the new church youth song "Disciple of Christ"....I've listened to it more than once every day.

 

Folletos...

Hey yall!

I hope everyone had a great week and yall are enjoying fall! It's starting to feel more like summer everyday here! 

The days are flying by and it's crazy to think this adventure is almost over:( I have been reflecting on my mission a little this past week and I am SO thankful for all that I have learned. It hasn't always been easy, but I can look back now and see that God was always there with me. He has helped me through every stage of my mission and I have grown closer to Him. Anyways, here are some things I can remember about the past couple of weeks:

- I finally decided to let Hermana Norris cut my hair...she cut like 3 inches off!

- Hermana Petersen and I went to the court house this week to be witnesses for the marriage of our amigos Yessica and Mario. They have to wait 3 weeks now to get their date to be married....it's a process here in Uruguay. They are also struggling with their living circumstances, so please pray for them.

- On Saturday we had a day full of hard core rejection....people weren't even trying to be nice. We went to visit two of our amigas that are in their 80s. When we went to the first lady's house she came out with the folletos in the her hand that we had given her. We were thinking it was so cute...but then she stuck her arm out, looked away, gave us back the folletos and said, "No quiero nada..." We were standing at the gate for a solid 2 minutes thinking about what happened. Then, we decided to go visit our other amiga. When we got there the folleto we gave her was by the door with a note saying she didn't want to have any more lessons. We got a good laugh out of it and left her another folleto and note:) One thing I have learned on the mission is the power of Satan....he works so hard on our friends.

- We had a couple intercambios. I got to be with Hermana Wilson (my old comp...fun to see how much she has grown) and Hermana Norris (homie from bama).

- I had my last zone conference this week! I got to see my amiga Hermana Finch one last time! It was an uplifting conference, but I'm glad I won't be participating in interviews 2.0. 

- Everytime I walk into the kitchen Hermana Valesquez (from Mexico) is making tortillas...this week she showed us how to cook Mexican!

- Our friends Melisa and Alina accepted dates to be baptized! We are helping Melisa drop smoking. She is escogida and has come to church the last two weeks! Alina is also so prepared we just need to help her feel ready for her baptism the 11th of November. They both need lots of prayers!

- A part member family we are teaching came to church this week. We are going to invite their son to be baptized this week! 

That's all I can remember. I'm just trying to soak up ever minute here in Uruguay. This week I read a good talk called "Finding Joy in the Journey." I love this quote from it, "Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future." Life can be stressful sometimes, but we can find joy in the journey no matter what! Enjoy today and do something that makes you happy!

Have a great week!

Hermana Neuberger

 

 

chaco tan

Hey yall!

It has been a good week here in Colonia. We are having so much fun and seeing so many milagros. I am amazed every day by how God is helping us in this work. He is blessing us so much and deserves all the glory. Here are some highlights from the week:

Alina: About a month ago while I was at church in our branch in El Real I met a 15 year old girl named Alina. Her dad is in the bishopric, so she comes with him occasionally, but is not a member. I talked to her and got her phone number. Sadly, she was leaving to travel to the US for a couple of weeks and we were never able to have a lesson with her. We texted her last week and invited her to church and she came. This week we finally had a charla with her! It was so cool, she basically knows everything about the church and feels so much peace when she comes. We think other missionaries just never knew she wasn't a member. We are probably going to invite her to be baptized this week! 

Melissa: We woke up on Tuesday with a text from a member that said he has a friend that wants a visit from the missionaries, so of course we "make room" in our schedule to go visit her. We were able to have 2 lessons with her this week and she is amazing! She told us she feels peace when she reads the Book of Mormon and we are going to invite her to baptized this week. Sadly, her daughter was sick so she couldn't come to church this week.

Familia De Leon: Last week when we were at church I met a member that moved back into our branch. I asked him if he had familiy and he told us he had a partner and 3 kids. We set a time to visit them. His partner wants to get baptized, but they need to get married first. He also has a 9 year old son we are going to try to start teaching.

Yessica and Mario: Yessica and Mario are an incomplete family we met last transfer. Mario is a member and Yessica wants to be baptized. They moved to Colonia and are starting a new life here. They have made some big changes. They also have come to church every week with their 2 kids, but they need to get married. This week they went to the court house and are moving along in the process. It normally takes about 3 months to get married here, so we are praying there will be a a milagro and it will be a little faster. 

Daniel: Sadly, we only had one lesson with him this week and he didn't come to church. We will have to move his date to be baptized, but we are trying to have faith.

Other highlights:

- Hermana Petersen is so funny and I am literally laughing all the time. It's bad when we are knocking doors or calling people and I can't hold it together. Her Utah accent doesn't help.

- Studying outside in the sun to work on our Chaco tan...I'm winning rn

- We had intercambios this week. I was with hermana Valesquez from Mexico. It was a good day full of milagros. 

- Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch everyday....without the cheese because I'd rather buy alfajores.

- Runs to the beach in the mornings

- We went to Ciudad Vieja last pday with the hermanas!

This week I have been thinking a lot about the scripture, “For after much tribulation come the blessings” (D&C 58:4). On the mission I have learned the truth of this scripture. We have days, week, transfers that are hard. Nobody wants to listen, all of our lessons are canceled, or other struggles but if we push through the trial of our faith blessings always come. I have seen that this week, we have had lots of weeks of only finding here in Colonia and after the test of my faith I have seen milagros. It's the same for real life, God gives us trials to test our faith. If we keep going with faith, there will always be blessings! God knows what He's doing!

Have a great week,

Hermana Neuberger