New Home! San Francisco.

Well family, friends, strangers... I am starting back up the blog.

It's been four years since I came home from my mission, but now I am back on the adventure hype, because, I MOVED TO SAN FRANCISCO!

Yes, it is the most expensive city to live in the United States, there's lots of homeless people, and no there is nowhere to park, but hey, it's home now! It's also the biggest room I have ever had, the food here is to die for, and the city is absolutely gorgeous.

Everyone so far has been like, girl, how did you end up there?

Well, let me tell you the story.

I have been toying with moving to a big city for awhile. I work in Finance, and Finance and big cities kind of just go together. After traveling a bunch of Europe I have fallen in love with cities and their museums, food, murals, subways... ya know, all that good stuff. I had been thinking of going to Boston, but I wasn't sure it was a good fit for my happy go luck attitude. So about a month ago I came out to San Francisco... and boom was I IN LOVE. Big city, nice enough peeps, parks (like woodsy parks), public transportation, lots to do, lots of food to eat, basically everything I love in love. Well, I went home, back to my Finance job, and two days later I went onto the career website and BAM there was a job for me in San Francisco to apply to. So I was nervous as I can get out about it, but my girl Kelly was like just email them and see what happens... so two and a half weeks later after a harmless email and four interviews I got my offer.

Much to everyone's surprise I was like yeah I am going to go! No apartment, no family, one friend who is about to leave, I decided this was the path for me. Thanks to Facebook and the ward family, I found an awesome place to live, and I am now one week in to the big San Francisco life.

Now, I am not going to say everything has gone perfectly.

My bed never showed up, then it did a week later after I had been refunded and bought a different one, I definitely have been homesick and missing the babies, the rock climbing gym is farther than I'd like, and I have taken more than one wrong bus. But hey, I am still alive, and everything has been okay. Plus, the view from the Finance office is to die for. I might put a video up later because it is GORGEOUS.

But back to more serious things, sometimes in life we have to take the road less traveled. It's a little thorny, but you know it's the one that you have to take. I love poetry, and my latest love is Atticus Poetry, and as he says,

"The trick to life
is to have the courage
to walk down the path
that's lit up in your heart."

So here we go.

San Francisco, you have my heart now!


Katiemarie

💛

The Palace of Fine Arts

Golden Gate Bridge

The View from the Office

Me: Basically bawling when mama bear left 

Moses 1

We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. He wants to help us better understand our own worth and why we are here. God has often revealed himself to certain prophets, and these prophets have written down their experiences. What God tells the prophets often applies to us, because we are also his children, and if he were to reveal himself to us, he would say very similar things. In Moses chapter 1, we read about when God reveals himself to Moses. One thing that has always been interesting to me, is that in verse 1 we read that this is “the words of God, which he spake unto Moses at a time when Moses was caught up into an exceedingly high mountain.” Moses had gone to a mountain, probably a place where he could be secluded, where he could clear his thoughts, and probably pray to God. It was when Moses was in such a place that God was able to reveal himself to Moses. Moses put himself in a place where he could feel the Spirit.

            It has always impressed me that in this chapter, God tells Moses specifically “thou art my son.” However, God does not just say it once. He says it three separate times. He tells Moses how important Moses is, and that Moses, as his son is “…in the similitude of mine Only Begotten” (verse 6). God wants Moses to know of his own worth, and what he can become. Whereas Satan, the first thing he does, in verse 12 is tell Moses that “he is a son of man.” Moses quickly replies and tells him of his own divine worth, that he is a Son of God, and that he is in the similitude of the Only Begotten.

In our own lives, I feel that we are constantly told we are of worth in church, through prayer, and in the scriptures. However, Satan is the first to tell us that we have no worth, that we do not have a certain path for this life, and that we are not a precious child of God. Satan does not just tell us this once, but over and over again. It is important that we always remember where that negativity is coming from—it is not coming from our loving Father, but from the adversary. He will continuously try to drag us down whereas as our Father will always lift us up. That is why faith and fear cannot work together. God will always help us have faith, faith in ourselves and our circumstances, whereas Satan will always push us to have fear in our futures and the outcomes.

            I know that God does love us, and that he has a plan for us. He wants us to know that we are his precious children. He has given us scriptures so that we can read how he has interacted with prophets, so that we can apply that into our own lives. He loves us just as much as he loved any prophet he talked to. God will always show us love, and show us how we can improve. Satan, on the other hand, will tear us down and make us feel unloved and unimportant. May we always listen to our loving Heavenly Father, who can help us attain our goals and dreams, and do things we never imagined that we could do.

The End.

Welll.....

I am still begging President for an extension... and he just does a little laugh everytime I ask. So I guess I will be seeing you all this Thursday. I still don{t believe I am coming home this week!! I feel like I am going to live here in Honduras forever. 

This week was great! We visited Potrerillos and Puerto Cortes. Took some sick pictures by the beach and filled my shoes with dust and sand.

We also had three baptisms! Two Saturday, and one Sunday. Joselin and Tony got baptized Saturday, and Juan Diego, are adorable niño, was baptized Sunday. I have to say every time I see someone baptized I love seeing their faces right after and seeing how clean they look. I love hearing their testimonies after too. Tony invited everyone to get baptized! And Joselin said that she was filled with joy as she entered the water. And Juan Diego... gave us a big hug afterwards, which I know was his way of saying everything. 

I love the mission! I llove the joy that comes from sharing the gospel. I love Honduras. I love Spanish. I love my companion. The mission is the best. I love seeing people change. I love seeing people baptized. I love the heat. I love baleadas. I love platanos maduros fritos. 

Who knew that 18 months could go by so fast?? Hope you all have a great week, and share the gospel!!!!! 

 13 And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!

 14 Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto thispeople.

 15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days incrying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it beone soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him inthe kingdom of my Father!

A week full of Joy!

Well... we had another great week here in Sunny San Pedro!

Tuesday Elder Zepeda left :( He is from Tegucigalpa and was only here waiting for his visa to Costa Rica.. but since I am his mom (in mission terms) we made him banana bread and had a party after the zone meeting on Tuesday.. and I finally took a picture with all my sons! So all you that don´t know, on the mission, when you are the sister with the most time you become the mom of all the newbies. So here I am... with a bunch of sons... and they are all a bunch taller than me!

On Wednesday we did divisions and I got to be with the Hermana Lopez from Guatemala, and Justin totally served in her ward. It is crazy how small the world is! Plus, we took pictures with these cool hotel places in the middle of a rich neighborhood here in San Pedro.

Thursday, the Elders were begging for cake again, so we made to good use the cake mix Typhene and Jesse sent me.

Friday, we were in Campana again, and I got to see my awesome Family Huezo again, and this time Maria and Yeimy were there!!! And they made me ahuge pink cake :D and we all signed a picture of the temple of Tegucigalpa, and wrote on the picture, "Iremos al templo Agosto 2015¨We will go to the temple in August 2015!! So excited for them to get ready to go to the temple.

And Saturday... Melissa got baptized!! She was so nervous about sharing her testimony but she shared a beautiful testimony and afterwards she was absolutely GLOWING. The Spirit was so strong. It was a double baptism, the Elders also had a baptism, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Sunday came way too fast (as always). Sundays are always the best! And the best part? The two year old twins that started screaming in the middle of Sacrament meeting and the bishop asked us to take care of the problem. Hahaha only in Honduras :D

And now it is Pday again. These days and weeks and months go by WAY TOO FAST!!! 

Do you know what the best thing in the entire world is?? La Obra misional!! Mission work. It has the most joy, the most happiness... I love it. This week I was reading a little in 3 Nephi 28, where three of the apostles tell Jesus Christ that they don´t want to die, but they want to labor among the children of men until the end of the World. Before, I never understood this chapter. I never understood why someone would want to work....... forever. But this time, I TOTALLY GOT IT. And I was like, Heavenly Father, where is my mission extension?? I want to work forever too!! The apostles got it, and where is mine? I want to be a missionary forever too! Because, hey, it is the best.

I love the gospel. I love Honduras. I love helping other come unto Christ. Obedience is the best way to live.

Love you all!!

Elder Anderson, chantaje, and baptism plans

Well, the most exciting part of the week was that we got to see an APOSTLE! Elder Anderson came here to San Pedro Sula to talk to us. This was a miracle since apostles almost never come to Honduras... So everyone was super excited. It was a little crazy since Elder Anderson knows French and Portugese, so sometimes his Spanish came out a little crazy, but it was super interesting hearing his accent. Elder Anderson talked a lot about the atonement of Jesus Christ, and how we all needed to learn more about it, and help our investigators repent and understand the atonement of Jesus Christ. He invited all of us to memorize 10 scriptures about the atonement of Jesus Christ-- five from the Bible and five from the Book of Mormon. Then he gave a super awesome testimony about Jesus Christ. Truly the apostles, and the prophet, are special witnesses of Jesus Christ. 

Elder Maynes and Elder (ahh! I can't remember his name) Also came and spoke. They both served in the Paraguay/ Uruguay mission back in the day. They also shared a bunch of awesome stories and it was super great seeing all these special people. We even got to shake hands with Elder Anderson! Also great privilige. Even his wife came out here to Honduras! I thought the general authorities were afraid of Honduras since no one ever comes... but maybe they are finally breaking the ice :)

We also had a great week of divisions and I got to visit more areas and meet more new people. Probably the funniest thing happened when I went with Hermana Miller, who is another blonde gringa from Idaho. People were literally staring at us in the streets. It is also probably also because they arein the middle of opening the area and the people still aren't used to seeing sisters. But, lucky for us, we found 12 new people for them to teach. Sometimes it totally rocks being different. 

For this week we are also planning the baptism of Melissa. Yesterday she couldn't come to church because she was sick, but we went to go visit her and give her invitations. She was in complete shock when she saw her invitations. Apparently she hadn't realized how close the date was! After lots of scripture sharing, she said it was okay and she would get baptized this Saturday. My companion also shared an awesome story that Elder Ochoa had shared with us when he came. It is in Acts 8 

 26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying,Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goethdown from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

 27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man ofEthiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candacequeen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all hertreasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias theprophet.

 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and jointhyself to this chariot.

 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read theprophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thoureadest?

 31 And he said, How can I, except some man shouldguide me? And he desired Philip that he would come upand sit with him.

 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, Hewas led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumbbefore his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: andwho shall declare his generation? for his life is taken fromthe earth.

 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee,of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of someother man?

 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the samescripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto acertain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; whatdoth hinder me to be baptized?

 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart,thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe thatJesus Christ is the Son of God.

 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and theywent down both into the water, both Philip and theeunuch; and he baptized him.

 39 And when they were come up out of the water, theSpirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch sawhim no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

I love this story, because first, Philip followed the Spirit to find who the Lord had prepared, then he helped the eunech understand the scriptures. After, the eunuch had such a great desire to be baptized, and nothing stopped him from doing it. Then they both left rejoicing, happy for what had happened. 

Such an awesome story. 

This week I also got to go back to my old area en El Bosque. It was super great and I got to give lots of people great big hugs! Also Katie's little brother and Yuber's little sister are getting baptized this week! It is so great to see how the Lord works many miracles through one person and brings more and more people to him.  

Also.. new Spanish word for the week Chantaje. Chantaje is basically telling someone if they don't do something, you won't do something. Well, we had an investigator doing some serios chantaje with us.. so I did some chantaje back.. and we won the chantaje :) He was at church at 8:45 en punto! 

Well I love you all! The church is true.. and missionary work is the most joyful work in the church. 

Pictures!

One with my hija Hermana Roca and I and two awesome friends

Can't kiss boys... but the manuel doesn't say anything about dogs

Eating baleadas with the Elders

And... there is a lot of sun in San Pedro Sula