5 days! Cinco Dias!!

Hello ALL!

Well here we are, we have 5 days people! I'm so excited to be able to serve my fellow brothers & sisters in Salt Lake City, Utah! Sorry for not really having a ton to post but I wanted to just post at least one more blog before I leave.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers, and sweet cards/more. I am so lucky to have such an amazing ward family and friends of my family to help me during this time. It was hard to be home, and will be just as hard the second time to leave again, but oh so exciting to be in a wonderful place teaching & loving the people of Salt Lake!

I leave for the field November 3rd and I'm in the central SLC mission. I will continue to speak in spanish, so I'll continue to keep the language :)

Well thats pretty much all I have to say, thats all I was told. Tons of new experiences and blessings are on their way! Thanks again for everything and for supporting me!

Con Amor,

(Soon to be) Hermana Blankmeyer

{My mom & I took new mission pictures yesterday for the new blog, check them all out of Facebook}

Discoveries and our Destiny

"We make our own destiny...We can satisfy ourselves with mediocrity. We can be common, ordinary, dull, colorless, or we can so channel our lives to be clean, vibrant, progressive, colorful, and rich."-Spencer W. Kimball

This week I was able to go out with the hermanas. And we went to go find new people for them to teach. We went to see if the lady they had scheduled for was there but turns out she wasn't, so we continued talking to people on the street, and around where she lived. It was super hot outside so we really wanted people to teach so that we could focus on that rather than the heat. We went to help an elderly lady pay her bills through her phone. She is leaving this week for Mexico but has a strong testimony of the church. The hermanas kept telling her how amazing she is and how she needs to reach out to the missionaries in Mexico so she can continue learning. She is wonderful and super amazing. I had a love for her too just in the 20ish minutes we spent with her. I hope she arrives safely in Mexico and everything goes well.

I had a meeting with my stake president. He and I figured out what I want to do while I wait for the doctors advice. We decided I would be working in the temple, bishops storehouse, Dallas Texas mission office, and then whatever time I have left over I'll be with the hermanas teaching. I'm really excited to be working as a volunteer and continue to do service for others while I'm here. I love helping others so if anyone needs anything, I'M HERE TO SERVE YOU!

My mom and I went to the doctors on Thursday morning. I had to get an ultrasound so they could try to see if there was anything they could pick up from it, I had one done in Mexico but I don't think they actually took the photos, so we had to redo it here. After the ultrasound was completed we took the notes and went to see my doctor . When we sat in his office, I was a little confused when the doctor shut the door and asked my mom, "Do you know how big it is?" I thought he was kidding, then my mom replied saying she took a picture of the notes with the dimensions. I was so confused because I can't make anything out from a sonogram and the lady doing the ultrasound didn't tell me anything about what it was. My doctor then told me I have a tennis ball sized complex mass in my uterus.  He gave me some medicine that should help shrink it down, but he needs to check on it in a month.  So I will be here for at least another month while we wait to see if it shrinks down.

Sunday I was able to go to the Spanish Branch before my ward, and it was awesome! The talks were on the Word of Wisdom, Service and Sacrifice. I sat next to one of the Hermanas recent converts, who I had actually met before my mission when I was with Hermana Munyer and Cattich! I knew she looked familiar, but at that time she knew very little about the church, and here she is now baptized and helping in the church! I talked to some more of the people we visited before I left. I really miss Mexico and speaking in Spanish daily. I miss the humble people and the wonderful spirit I always felt there. Then I came to my ward. I was a little early and so I sat in the pew and started to read my scriptures, the ward choir was starting to practice and I continued reading. Then they started to practice the song, Praise to the Man, (which is my favorite hymn) and I figured now I know I'll be here for another month, I might as well sing in the choir and help out! I also helped with primary! I was able to play the piano for them for a little bit, and I got to interview some of the kids for an object lesson! It was super fun. I love helping out in Primary and being with the little kids. Again, if anyone needs any help I'll gladly be here for it!

Thank you all for the MANY prayers, and concerns I have received. You all are amazing and I love everyone of you! Thanks for helping me in whatever I need during this time. I feel my Saviors love when I pray and ask for help and strength. There are days were I feel okay, and others were it really is painful but you all really do inspire me and keep me moving forward with your sweet words of inspiration! I'm super excited for all the mission calls I've heard of people getting since I've been home. You are all still in my prayers, and especially those who have missionaries in the field. They will be protected and given the guidance on where to go and what to say to have the most success.

AGAIN IF ANYONE NEEDS SERVICE OR ANYTHING I'M HERE TO HELP YOU! 

Con Amor,
Sophia Blankmeyer

Now is the time!

"It is accounted unto you for righteousness if you proceed according to the best light you have."- Wilford Woodruff

It is crazy thinking that it is already past fathers day now! Time flies here.The prophet taught us in general conference that now is the time, we must hasten the work or we will stand before God at judgement and regret that we never worked with ALL our heart, might, mind and strength when we are fully capable.  I'm doing everything possible to be worthy of these promises. One of my greatest desires is to inherit eternal life in the celestial kingdom of God. I have learned so many things that I wish I could pick up the phone and tell you all about them.  Reread the Ensign from general conference. Study it daily. That is scripture for us now. 

This week was magnificent because we did a lot of service.  I had divisions which were kinda scary.  "Divisions" is going off on my own with another member in the ward teaching investigators the whole lessons in Spanish.  I relied on the Lord and He sure did His part in helping me. We taught new people and it must have went well because they came to church! There was another baptism and we were invited because we had starting teaching him.  But technically he was in another ward's boundary so we introduced him to the missionaries in his ward. But he invited us to his baptism and it was such a wonderful time! 

Crazy lightning storms happened that made Hermana Guerra and I have to hold each others hands for comfort, but we are safe, no worries.

We went to the aquarium today because it was Hermana Guerras birthday on the 14th! She is now 21! 

My zone saying goodbye to our mission president. Our last pday with him.  After we made him a video.

Hermana Guerra and me

Practically the whole bus was filled with our zone.  We got in trouble because apparently we aren't allowed to have so many missionaries out together like that.
 

Hermana Guerras birthday was the 14th and the family Cisneros bought her cake and we celebrated her birthday.

Sorry my blog entry is super short today. Keep being strong and super wonderful examples!  I love and miss you all and will promise to write more next time with more pictures. 

Con Amor

Hermana Blankmeyer

President Harold B. Lee said, "There is only one day that you and I have to live for, and that's today. There is nothing we can do about yesterday except repent, and there may be no tomorrow. The thing for us to do when we arise from our beds as God gives us a new day, is to take whatever comes to our hands, and do it to the best of our ability." -Harold B. Lee

So I hate to say it but again this week was us getting sick. We still continued to work, because we basically will work until the day we work ourselves to death because that is how strongly we both feel that the people here need to feel Christ and our loving care for them. 

We ran into Paola (the 19 year old with 2 sons and a boyfriend) and she said her boyfriend wants to get married! yeah!!  We are trying everything we can to help plan the wedding and such. I love her so much. She is such a sweetheart. We just need her sister Jazmin (18 with 2 sons and a boyfriend) to have her boyfriend agree to marriage. He says he doesn't want to because divorce papers are a lot to go through... (wrong thing to think about when you are wanting to get married)

We did a lot of service this week. More like random acts of kindness to people here. It really helps me think of what the Savior would do if He were walking the streets of Mexico. 

I got the package y'all sent me on the 14th! It had everything in it and THANK YOU!!

I shared a scripture with America. (1 Nefi 3:7, And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the thing which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them)  She is preparing to go on a mission and she started her papers. I told her about how I felt kinda nervous about being called anywhere- because the world is a big place- but then I read that scripture before opening my call, and when I read Mexico I felt peace and a sense of "I can do this". She will make a great missionary.

We ended up going to the hospital one day.  My companion felt nauseous for 4 days straight and turns out she has an infection in her kidneys. She is fine now and has medicine but that took 2 days out of the week that we would have worked. I have a rare type of sore throat but they have me on meds and it doesn't hurt but I still sound like a man so that's fun. However, that night when we were home listening to hymns, I read Alma 26:30, "And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some." and it really helped us both. The spirit was super strong in that moment. 

Sunday we got ready for church.  The elders, Hermana Guerra and I had a baptism! We were super happy for her! It was cool too because since we didn't work on Saturday, we didn't have anyone to walk with for church. But while we were in companionship study before church a lady called us on the phone and asked where everyone was for church. She was a contact from the elders they had given her our number, she was there 30 min early. So we quickly finished and went to church. I love the ward here. There was this one day where the food appointment canceled on us, after we spent 30 min walking trying to find it. But some other Hermana in the ward heard about it and told us that no matter what, if there is a day we go without food we go to her house and eat. The love that the ward members show us has been amazing. 

There was also a Young Women meeting last night in Pachugo, Mexico with Sister Reeves. It was broadcast to the church building and we were able to attend. The things that Sister Reeves shared were marvelous. 

Windy and hot days are what we get here.  But I'll take anything as long as I am here sharing the gospel with the Latino people. 

Love you all. Miss you all. Pray for you all. 

Con Amor,

Hermana Blankmeyer