Hermana Sanovich in Uruguay

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Season 3 Episode 26 "Thank YOU Uruguay" I am going to miss YOU (11-27-17)

The group that is heading home!

Season 3 Episode 26
"Thank YOU Uruguay" I am going to miss YOU.

So this past week has been incredible!! Between Thanksgiving and the awesome people that we have been finding. I am loving every minute down here in Uruguay. Once again we went to Tacuarembo and visited two different areas with a total of four different Hermana's. It was really fun to be able to visit and learn more from them and of course laugh at a few of the funny Uruguayan things...

Divisions = DONE

We finished up our divisions and that meant that I had officially finished all missionary divisions ever and that was a little weird after doing them so often. However, we were able to find a bunch of new people for the Hermana's to keep teaching in the next few weeks. One was a family that we helped with English and taught their daughter at the same time. There was another family that told us about the challenges they have faced because the great-grandpa was a Brazilian slave. Long story short each and every one of us needs the Gospel.

Thanksgiving lunch

Thanksgiving...We made some pumpkin bread and went to share it with our little bestie Julia and she had a surprise waiting for us. She had talked with Daiana earlier that day and she put together a bag full of groceries to take over to her house. It was a great way to pay it forward and to really be in the giving spirit, especially when you see someone with not that much give to someone with even less. We also set up a Christmas tree using lights so that added the Christmas spirit to our house.

Thanksgiving!!

Our Cute Christmas tree made with lights

Us in front of our tree

Our first lights up!

After a great week sitting here in front of the computer on my last p-day 😢

I have so many things that I want to say but I think the biggest one would have to be THANK YOU!!!

*Thank you to my Family for supporting me over the last 18 months it has meant the world to me to have your support 100%

*Thank you to my Leaders for always guiding me.

*Thank you for Mexico for teaching me how to be a Missionary.

*Thank you to Hermana McMullin for showing me how to be dedicated and obedient.

*Thank you to Hermana Trujillo for teaching me how to push through challenges

*Thank you to Hermana Silva for showing me how to have fun in the mission

*Thank you to Hermana Kahn for teaching me how to speak Spanish and keep going.

*Thank you to Hermana Heywood for teaching me how to apply the gospel to our lives.

*Thank you to Hermana Sierra for helping me see the importance of everything we do here.

*Thank you to Hermana Wagner for showing me how to love everyone.

*Thank you to Hermana Taylor for helping me see the miracles of everyday.

*Thank you to Hermana Harker for always making me smile and enjoy every minute of every day...

*Thank you to Paysandu

*Thank you to Nueva Helvecia

*Thank you to Bella Union

*Thank you to Fray Bentos

*Thank you to Rivera

*Thank you Uruguay for the BEST 18 months

But most importantly thank you to our Savior who has made me the person that I am today. I am so grateful to all of the people that I have met here in the mission and in Uruguay and I can honestly say they have changed my life forever. I am so glad that I decided to come on the mission, it has been the BEST decision that I have ever made. I have learned more about the LOVE of Christ and the Gospel in the past 18 months than I thought was even possible. I can not imagine how my life would be without the mission and all that I have learned. Thank you for ALL that you have done for me and the endless love and support that you have given me.

I love this country! I love this Gospel!

It is true! I testify that this is the true church and that it can change lives.

I have seen it touch people time and time again. THANK YOU!!!

DESAFIO - I challenge you to #LIGHTTHEWORLD

With Love, Hermana Cassidy Sanovich

Us in Brasil

Us freezing on the floor again in Tacuarembo

The Hermana's

Once there was a log...

And...

We shared it...

TEAM Rivera

SOBAA

flia suarez (color coordinated and all) ;)

dorines and us

pedro and lorena

lelys

Obispo Irachet and his family

It's soooooo HOT here right now it is melting the asphalt

Random PIG

This has been MY favorite from day one and it still is!

PEACE!
Love, Hermana Sanovich and Hermana Harker

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Season 3 Episode 25 Giving Thanks, the Cuban way! (11-20-17)

Season 3 Episode 25 Giving Thanks, the Cuban way!

WELL...Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope that you are all going to be able to enjoy a lovely day with family and friends. Enjoying the blessings that we have been given in our lives. This week we were able to see a bunch of miracles throughout the week.

It's a little HOT here these days

This week we were able to do some divisions with the Hermana's here in Rivera and it was a fun little adventure both times. I got to go and be with Hermana Ledesma who is actually from Draper and I knew a little bit before the mission, so that was fun to catch up and to see her. We were able to teach a few of their investigators who are not progressing a bunch because of their lack of desire to act and try any of the commitments. Then Harker and I went and taught FLIA LealRodriguez who also has had some problems with acting on the feelings they are having so they are all working on progressing... We also visited two different Evangelical ladies who both are 100 percent in agreement with the church and all that we are saying to them but they are not understanding the authority and the priesthood side of things so we tried to explain to them how important the restoration of the priesthood. After a quick little training about how to present the "capilla abierta" (open chapel) we are going to be having here in Rivera before Christmas, we got to do divisions again :)

This time I was in my own area, for the first time this change, and Hermana Martinez came to be with me. We were able to get a bunch done and taught this really cool little girl and her grandpa. We were walking down the street looking for someone completely different and all of a sudden I noticed this little girl who is 9, standing in the shade in front of her house just staring at us. So I decided to talk to her and ask her what she was doing outside when it was so hot and she told us she came outside because she noticed we were outside. We got to go inside her house and teach her and her grandpa about the plan of salvation because they told us about the grandma who is super sick in Montevideo. The most moving part was when she said the closing prayer and I was helping her ask for things that she wanted and she just looks at me and says "I want my grandma to get better"... It was a wonderful chance to really put things into perspective of what is important!!!

Our Ward Party "Lehi's Dream"

Once I finally got my companion back we set up for our activity. We set the church up to live through Lehi's dream. We had in each room a different type of modern day distraction to let go of the iron rod and stay in that room. It was super cool and fun to see all of the Uruguayans figuring out how to walk around in the dark. They ended in the gym where we put a Christmas tree up with a bunch of lights and got to talk about the Love that God has for each of us and the ways we can progress towards the ultimate goal, ETERNAL LIFE.

CUBANOS!!! Okay so I am not sure if you all remember the two Cubans that I mentioned a few weeks back... BUT they got baptized on Saturday and it was incredible. It was a real testimony builder of how God has a plan for us and how he is always preparing another way to bless us. These two men fled Cuba and somehow through a crazy turn of events made it to Uruguay and they were able to meet the gospel because of two elders and now they are going to bless so many lives in our ward.

Marta - (last thing I promise) We found her Saturday on our way to lunch and we were able to talk for about 10 minutes and then we prayed with her. She explained her very hard and complicated situation and we invited her to church the next day. Sunday we pass by her house and she wasn't ready, so we left and were going to pass by again. We go back by about 10 minutes later and she still wasn't ready. So we tell her to get ready and we will be back in an hour. SO after sacrament we went back to her house and she and her two kids came to church with us. It was a good lesson at church about the Restoration and she was able to learn a lot. On the way back to her house she told us that she didn't want to go to church at first but...now she plans on going EVERY WEEK and she also said how much just going to church changed her life :)

Me and my Furry Friend

CHALLENGE!!! Alright so I don't have many chances to challenge you guys so this has got to be a good one... GIVE THANKS!! To those around you, Family, Friends, People who SERVE YOU but...most importantly to our Heavenly Father...

LOVE YOU ALL,

Hermana Cassidy Sanovich

See you very soon... :)

Working Hard or Hardly Working????

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Season 3 Episode 24 " When Uruguay Unites" (11-13-17)

Season 3 Episode 24 " When Uruguay Unites"

Us and our "Mexicano" drink

This week, as promised, was just as crazy if not crazier than last week. We started it all off leaving Rivera Monday night to go to our new home away from home, Tacuarembo to do another set of divisions with a different companionship. We got there a little early so we decided to go and try to walk from the bus terminal to their house. With some really vague directions we got what I like to call a little lost. However, it turned into a good walk and in the end we found the Hermana's house perfectly fine and before we needed to be at their house. I am convinced Hermana Harker and I could just backpack the world and be totally fine at this point.

Me, Harker, Merubia and Resendiz

Tuesday, we did the real divisions and I was able to spend the first half of the day with Hermana Merubia who I actually have met her when she first got to the missión because she started the same time as Hermana Sierra. It was fun to spend some time with her and meet a new investigator named Karina she is very excited to learn more from the missionaries. Then in the afternoon I was with Hermana Resendiz and this was the second time that we got to do divisions together, it was fun to meet some of their investigators that are planning on being baptized in a few weeks. I learned a lot from the Hermana's...about how to love and treat others. (they have had some problems in their companionship but are really trying hard to work it out). Then that night we got ready for our BIG Mission Conference with all of the Missionaries in here in Uruguay. We had to be at the Stake Center at 1 am so no sleeping there.

Wednesday, well it turns out that a 7 hour bus ride gets a little longer when you are trying to sleep curled up in a bus seat. However, at this point I am completely use to being on buses, I have only done it once or twice ;) jaha jaha Once we got to the Stake Center in Montevideo we had the chance to listen to both President and Hermana Olsen along with the Eddys (the other mission President and his Wife). Then we heard from Bishop Davies and his wife about how to better study and apply the scriptures in our lives. It was a great conference and we learned how to love the people we serve and serve with too. Then as with all conferences we saw all of our mission friends which was a huge blessing...because I might not be seeing most of them for quite some time. We also had a great lunch, talent show and then just the OESTE MISION (WEST MISSION) Conference, where we talked about goals we are going to be making and plans for the Christmas Season and next year. :(

The hardest part of this week was saying goodbye to all of the missionaries that I have met and become friends with because I am not sure the next time I am going to see them. However, it was followed by the best part of the week, our FIEL (faithful?) party with the Olsen Family. We got to stay at the mission home and have a bbq all together and then sleep in the hostal (lodging house) and turn the trip into a Going to the Temple trip as well. It was a huge blessing to go to the temple with such an amazing group of missionaries, to feel the spirit so strongly testifying to all of us about the reality of the work that we are doing in Uruguay. After our session at the Temple we grabbed some lunch sacks and hung out at Tres Cruces before getting on another bus taking us back to Rivera.

I finally made it home to Rivera around 1 am and lets just say handy little tip - make sure at least one of the people you travel with has a phone...because then nobody has a way to call their companion and you may get stuck at a terminal with two Elders at 1 am :) just saying... Friday we started wearing our pants in the afternoons and we look a lot more like regular people but with that being said we are feeling the heat and it is only getting hotter.

Us in Skirts

US in pants

DIVISIONS, I was with Hermana Funke, and she is just as awesome as her last name. We taught an English class where I had to pray in English and it was by far the hardest thing for me to do ever. (the struggle speaking English is real) Then we also ended up in a cemetery in their area where we decided to contact a couple of people that worked there. When we were taking a picture I was taken by surprise to see bones. Yes, those pics are really a person, in Uruguay after 3 years the bones get put into a concrete box and I guess then they break it open sometimes... ¿Happy late Halloween? (not sure why???)Then we had a great lesson the 4 of us with one of our investigators named Andres. We cant be alone with him so we decided to teach him all together. It was a great lesson about prayer and how important our relationship is with God in our lives.

Sunday, not much happened, we were able to cross some people off of our "maybe" list so that is always good. Little Lupe did better in church but cant stop playing the piano during the closing prayer, one day she will get it. We also found out that the investigators that the Elders have been teaching actually live in OUR area so we are now having a combined Baptism with them this Saturday.

Today we went out to the Rivera letters and the closest thing that I have seen to a Costco in this country. It was awesome!

The Fab Four

Me, Harker Johnson and Funke

Just US on the Rivera sign

Rivera where else??

US enjoying Rivera

Peace to you all, from some Pretty Cool Hermana's

Challenge: This week I want to challenge you to think about the way that the gospel has changed your life and the ways that it blesses you.... I have been so blessed and have seen so many other change because of the restored Gospel of Jesucristo. I love it and I love being a missionary.

Have a great week ,

Love Hermana Sanovich