Choose faith over fear!

HOLA!

how´s everything going with the move?! is the house all packed up yet? guess what?! today is june 9th! that means i have 8 months in the mission! CRAZY RIGHT!?

this last week we have been really trying to find new people to teach. so we´ve been knocking on LOTS of doors. we had some people open the door, look at us, and then slam the door. hermana clark and i just walk away laughing...there´s not much else we can do! so like i told you there´s a TON of dogs here in chile and some of them seriously attack me and hermana clark. (we have to laugh at that too or else i´ll just cry!) so i had a feeling that we should knock this one door but there was a dog in front of the house that was barking and looked super scary so i said to hermana clark "yeah its ok, lets go." so we started walking away...laughing of course...and then hermana clark was like "no!! we are going to knock that door!" so we turned around and walked back to the house to knock...and sure enough there was the sweetest lady and she was like "come in!!" (which doesn´t happen a lot... we usually don´t just walk in a house when we knock). so we ended up teaching her and her husband...and they are super great!! really receptive.

so i´ve been thinking a lot about faith. that it´s impossible to have faith and fear at the same time. its so important to learn how to live in faith rather than in fear because the process of changing for the better is why we are here on earth. with the lords help i can always always change myself for the better. i have learned here in the mission to take the power of faith very seriously to overcome fear. faith is a choice...but so is fear. faith is a choice to believe...and then act upon that belief. and it´s faith in someone...faith in our savior jesus christ. faith that He can bless, heal, and help us. faith must be centered in jesus christ. so we can either choose faith in jesus christ to bring us happiness and peace or fear. one of my very favorite quotes says: "it isn´t as bad as you sometimes think it is. it all works out. don´t worry. put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confindence in the future. the lord will not forsake us. he will not forsake us...if we will put our trust in him, if we will pray to him, if we will live worthy of his blessings, he will hear our prayers." -president hinckley

well i hope everything is going well! i love you all so much! you are always in my prayers. ALWAYS! have a great week! and remember to choose faith over fear!

con amor, hermana steele

6/2 It's Like Walking in Sunlight

hola hola!

well its been raining a lot the past week. and everyone says its just barely starting. i really dont like the wind and the rain but im trying to stay positive about it. haha...whats the weather like in texas? i always think of the song that says:

"its a beautiful day even though its dark out there. you´ve got sun on your face, take it with you everywhere. and it warms your heart thats beating and it comes from believing and its a beautiful feeling! its like walking in sunlight, when the whole world is covered in rain clouds. your walking in sunlight...finding the truth and living it out loud. yeah when you know whats right its like walking in sunlight! oh its amazing to me how someone else can find the light that they need radiating in your eyes. and it warms their heart thats beating and suddenly your leading them to that beautiful feeling!" its so true! i love it! even when its dark and cold outside i have sunlight within me always! that sunlight is the message i have to share with the people here in Valdivia. and then they too can have the light i have.  i love being a missionary. 3 nephi 18:24 says "therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world."

so this week hermana clark was super sick...again. i feel super bad for her. but i´m just grateful i haven´t gotten what she has. so i´ve had a lot of time to study! and the other day i was thinking about how the Book of Mormon is always inviting us to come unto Christ. the word come is an invitation. and its always there. there are SO many blessings we recieve when we come unto Christ. when we come to Him, we become more like Him. and that is the purpose of the gospel. our purpose as missionaries is to "invite others to COME UNTO CHRIST"!!! & help them become more like the Savior! and everytime our investigators pray, or read the Book of Mormon, or go to church, they are acepting the call from Him to come and be perfected in Him. HOW AWESOME IS MY CALL?

i seriously love being a missionary! i can´t believe that i´ve been out in the field for 8 months now! time has gone by way too fast. i really have to take advantage of every moment i have as a representative of Christ. i know He lives, and i know He loves me & all of the children of God here in Chile. i love the gospel with all my whole heart!

lots of love, Hermana Steele

SHOUT OUT TO MADDIE G. for getting her mission call!

5/12 Day after Mother's Day!

hola hola,

i feel like i haven´t talked to you guys forever! haha just kidding.

it was so good to see you all! cosy and lily are getting so big! i don´t even want to think about how big they will be in 1 year from now...

sorry if i was a little negative about my new sector. i really do like it! and i know i´ll grow to like it even more! thanks for listening to me! and thank you thank you for your prayers. i can feel them! you guys are the best. my foot feels better today...so i can only hope that it just keeps getting better.

well there´s not much to say since i said it all yesterday. but i just want you all to know that i love you so much! and that i have the best family EVER! seriously i don´t know what i would do without you guys. i´m so grateful that our family can be together forever! i know that this church is true...and that Jesus Christ gave His life for us so all we have to do is follow Him. and to follow Him you have to know Him...and the best way to know Him is by reading the Book of Mormon. every single page testifies of Christ. our purpose here on earth is to become like Christ. we are always always changing. changing to become more like Him or no. i love my Savior so much. i will never be able to express how grateful i am for him. its impossible to know Christ and not love Him. 

i love you all SO MUCH! i hope you have an awesome week! remember that someone in the bottom of the world loves you!

con MUCHO amor, hermana steele

5/26 Read the Scriptures! Share the Gospel!

this week has been kinda crazy! but super great!

hermana clark has been really sick...so we´ve been in the house a lot. i´ve really a lot of general conference talks hahaha! i also got to listen to that talk "come unto christ" or whatever its called by john bytheway. super SUPER AWESOME. loved it. thank you!

i think my favorite thing about this sector is the members. i really love the members here in Valdivia. we eat lunch with a different member everyday...we don´t have a mamita! so i´ve gotten to know some families really well...and there are some that are really really special! we had a family home evening with one of the families last tuesday...it was SUPER fun! i felt like i was in my own house. there are 4 daughters and one little boy. the parents are less-actives so we are working with them. but one of the daughters is going on a mission to argentina! so that´s awesome! the other sister lived in the US for a while...so we talk about the things we miss from america...like del taco. HAHA. the little boy is my favorite thing ever. EVER. the cutest little boy in the world. we mess around a lot...we even have a secret hand shake! i will have to send you some pictures of us next week.

anyways, i really love you all so much and i´m so grateful for you all. my foot is doing lots better...thanks for the prayers! have an awesome week! read the scriptures! share the gospel! 

con amor, hermana steele

hey mom!
how exciting that you´re moving! thanks SO much for all the pictures! i loved seeing it all! its very very very pretty! i hope everything goes well with saying goodbye and leaving tucson. i´m excited for you guys. its super weird to think that i will be coming home to a new home. haha...how far away is san antonion to austin?

can you believe i have almost 8 months in the mission!? i CANT! i´m so happy that you guys are going to be able to come pick me up! i´m excited to show you all the things i love about chile...and all the people i love too! 

my foot is a lot better! i bought shoes...like really really nice hiking ones. sorry they were so expensive haha but i wear them everyday. hermana clark has been really sick so we´ve just been hanging out in the house.

anyways, i love you SO MUCH! thanks for you prayers! tell everyone hello! i hope you have a great week!

con amor, hermana steele

5/19 Every Single Time!

hola hola!

so we had zone AND stake conference this weekend! they were SO AWESOME. the spirit was super strong! and there are some things that i´m going to change and do better!  oh how great is the atonement of our savior jesus christ that allows me to become better...more like Him.

well the work is progressing here in rio cruces. it´s still tough. but i´m doing my best. and i know if im doing my part the Lord WILL do the rest. i know its impossible to fail if i´m doing my best. i have to say that to myself everyday. well like every hour haha. i´m just SUPER hard on myself and i let satan attack me and tell me that i´m not good enough. but those are the moments i just fall on my knees...and EVERY SINGLE TIME without fail i feel so much better. yesterday was a pretty hard day for me. but it was my turn to say the prayer when we left the house and i just poured out my heart to the Lord to help me to work hard and forget myself in the work. and thats exactly what happened. i thought of the missionary who kicks when he doesn´t want to kick and stokes when he doesnt want to stroke. i served the lord yesterday, and i did my best, because i know that it was the only intelligent thing to do. 

i love you all so much! i hope you have a great week! let me know about Texas! and say hello to EVERYONE for me!

love, hermana steele

mom,

so my foot has been doing a lot better. it still hurts but not nearly as much as it did. i haven´t been wearing the ankle brace because its been hurting worse wearing it. but seriously its a lot better. i think its better everyday? but yeah it still hurts. im sorry...i haven´t talked to anyone about it yet. I PROMISE IM GOING TO CALL SOMEONE TOMORROW! hermana clark has a boot...the same thing happened to her when she got to this sector. so i can wear her boot...and i can by new shoes today too. my hunters have a ton of support so i have been wearing them  a lot. but my uggs and sorrels not as much. so when we are done writing im going to go by new shoes. and i´ll call the nurse tomorrow. its just hard in this sector becuase ITS HUGE...and we dont have very many appointments so we literally walk all day. but i rest when i can...and we haven´t walked very much this weekend.

i love you so so so much mom! thanks for caring about me! really all i need is your prayers! and i know your praying for me! so thank you!