May 20th, 2013

This is going to be a little short this week but I wanted to email you all and tell you thank you for all your prayers and support! It was a rough few weeks but the past week we have been blessed with so many tender mercies. Even though it hasn't dropped below 100.. The Lord truly does do everything in His own timing, and if we are patient, it works out for the better. We had a Preach My Gospel fundamental's training this week with our mission president. He came all the way down here to meet with us. We met for 5 hours and learned how to be better Preach My Gospel Missionaries. It was incredible. The spirit was so strong and it was nice to see the things I need to improve on, and how i can become the missionary that Heavenly Father wants me to be. We read 1 Corinthians 9:24. They put it into the perspective that we are all on this journey. We're all in the race together. And as we know, Our Savior is the author and finisher of this race. We need to look to Him for everything. My companions and I have been working with 4 different girls with totally different problems and personalities all between the ages of 14-18. It's humbling and such a testimony-builder to know that our Savior is the solution to everything. His atoning sacrifice. I love testifying of our Savior and the truthfulness of this Gospel. it is INCREDIBLE. I know that this church is true with all of my heart. I love being a missionary. Thanks for everything! I'll write a better e-mail next week!
I love you!!
Hermana Egbert

edna and i - she's 88 and says she's too old to be baptized.. we'll get her, don't worry :) she gave me a piggy bank..? not quite sure why.

we taught the sunbeams on sunday! so much fun. we taught them the "importance of having eyes to see" :)

May 13th, 2013

FAMILIA!!

It was so good to talk to you all yesterday.. I could've talked forever. It felt good to laugh that hard again. Dad.. no my voice hasn't changed, i was crying. Haha Talking to you all helped me, and got me excited to get out and work even harder than before. This week was a little rough.. we were dropped by 2 different investigators and one of our other investigators disappeared in Mexico. But the Lord always makes up the difference. We were preparing a lesson this week during companionship study and were looking through Ensigns and Liahonas to find pictures. I had had a hard morning for some reason (maybe because I knew I was calling home the next day and was starting to get homesick) But It seemed like every page talked about families and the importance of the temple. I was filled with comfort and gratitude. I know that I can live with my family forever. What a great blessing that is. To be serving a mission, I love being able to offer others the opportunity to live with their families forever. This Gospel is ALL that matters in this life. And families are central to God's plan. I am so thankful for that knowledge. Heavenly Father has placed us in our families and I am thankful to Him because of that. We share the Gospel all day long, whether we know it or not. People are always watching. The way we live and act tells a lot about who we are. I have commited myself to be a better missionary, a better member, a better disciple of Jesus Christ. I know that as we do these things, we will come closer to our Heavenly Father. He will bless us in so many ways. I'm thankful for all of you and the examples you are to me. I challenge you all to "be a little better." Share the Gospel. What do you have to lose? Everyday i think of the quote that Majorie P Hinckley said when she was talking about showing up to the gates of heaven in a beat up car with pb & j stains on her clothes and dirt under her fingernails. She doesn't want to show up to Heavenly Father in a brand new car with a perfect hair do and her make up done up. She said she wants to show up with proof that she did all she could in this life. She served others, raised her children, supported her husband, and most importantly did all she could to be the person that God wants her to be. I can't remember the exact quote but it was along those lines. It keeps me going everyday. Ah, i love this Gospel so much. It is the ONLY way. I love you all!! Thanks for your examples and support.
Love,
Hermana Egbert

p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMMY!!! Te amo abuelita!!

Lorelei and I at the park (the branch president's daughter.. i love her)

the only time it's rained in eagle pass in the year..

At church.. love his boots.

Hermana Arana -- the mom of the arana's we go to their house to eat every sunday

This was our mothers day picture hahaha we have "Food babies" every time after we eat.. it's awful. 

May 6th, 2013

This week has flown by.. It's had it's ups and downs, just like every other week, but the ups far outweigh the downs. It's crazy how one spiritual moment can make the whole week worth it. We've been blessed to have many of those this week. Each time, It makes me realize more and more how much i love this gospel and how thankful i am to have it in my life. It motivates me to contact every person i see.. to offer them what I have. What we as members are so blessed to have.
Yesterday in Sacrament meeting, a brother stood up and bore his testimony. he shared a story that goes something like this..
There was a huge wild fire in California quite some time ago.. They needed extra help so they called in the fire jumpers. Fire jumpers are those who parachute in at the top of the fire and work their way down, while those at the bottom work their way up. They do it to minimize the area being burned. A plane dropped off fire jumpers and one of them landed and waited to receive orders from the dispatcher. He waited and waited and his radio wasn't picking up a signal. Hours later, one of the site managers (i guess you would call him) came and asked why he hadn't done anything.. why he had sat in the same spot for hours on end. The fire jumper replied "i never heard from the dispatcher where i needed to go" The site manager took the radio and walked down the mountain 20 feet. He called dispatch and they replied. He then returned to where the fire jumper was and told him "all you needed to do was move, walk a few steps, and see if it would pick up a signal. Instead, you stayed here the whole time." The fire jumper said "well i didn't want to go in the wrong direction" the site manager replied  "We couldve saved more of this land if you wouldve had the courage to walk a few steps in one direction. We could've corrected your path if you were going the wrong way"
I loved this story.. I thought of us. Heavenly Father has put us here on Earth to learn and grow and become like Him. If we're not willing to walk a few steps in the unknown, we will be just like the fire jumper who didnt move. We have many tools in this life.. scriptures, prophets/apostles, parents, church leaders, etc. All we need to do is use them. Have the faith to make a decision and the faith to know that Heavenly Father will correct us if we are going the wrong direction. We need to make a decision and "study it out in our minds" then commit to act. Heavenly Father will never lead us astray. He is always there. His hand is always outstretched to us. We just simply have to hold on to it. I love this Gospel. I love the scriptures. I love missionary work. Each day i am reminded why i chose to come. To see the countenance change in an investigator's eyes when they come to know that this Gospel is true is inexplainable. I love this work.
Have the faith to continue on the path of righteousness. Even if you aren't sure where you are going, Heavenly Father will lead you. Turn to Him. "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not fear not"

I love you all!! I can't wait to talk to you on Mother's Day!!
Love,
Hermana Egbert

i'm calling home sunday at 8. to the house. i can only talk for 45 minutes. i love you hope all is well!

we made 400 brownies for a branch activity..haha

don't mind the knife i'm holding.. :)

April 29th, 2013

I'm staying in Eagle Pass!! We got transfer calls last night and both my companions and I are staying in Eagle Pass! (so my address is still the same) But I'm so thankful to be staying. I LOVE it here. I LOVE the people. I got made fun of at dinner yesterday at the Arana's home. They are members and are super strong in the church. Their family makes up 1/3 of the spanish branch. But I didn't know how to eat the food that Hermana Arana gave us. It was a bowl of soup with a drumstick in it. Then she had lettuce on the side and hot sauce. Haha both my companions and I were confused.. then Mercedes, their 14 year old daughter, said "what's wrong with you.. eat it right" haha then she had to show me how they eat it.. that probably made no sense but it was a funny experience. I am teaching Mercedes how to play the piano and she's teaching me how to speak spanish. I figured that was a fair trade.
We have been blessed with so many tender mercies this week! Appointment after appoinment cancels, but the Lord always places another person in our path that is ready for the Gospel. We met a lady named Blanca yesterday who let us in and gave us some water. We started teaching her the restoration and it was almost too good to be true. Everything we said made sense to her and when we asked what it meant to her, that Joseph Smith saw God and His Son Jesus Christ, she said "it means everything. this is what i've been looking for" wow. the spirit was SO strong. she accepted a baptismal invitation and has a date set for may 25th!
Last night we had the Montejano girls baptism. Dana and Dania. It was beautiful! I loved being able to witness the change in not only their lives, but the lives of their parents. I can't explain the feelings I felt last night. To see two young girls make the decision to be baptized. And to have their dad, who had been in active for over 12 years, come back to activity and be worthy to baptize them .. wow. It made me so thankful for this Gospel. It made me realize even more, the role of the little things like going to church, reading the scriptures, praying, serving others, etc. All those things are necessary and just as important as the other. Together they build a strong foundation and allow us to build our testimonies and be truly converted. We read Converted to the Lord by David A Bednar yesterday in relief society. I recommend each of you to read it. It's what we as members, and non members, need to do.. be converted. each and every day. It's a great thing to have a testimony. But we must be converted to the Lord and His Gospel. I love this Gospel with all my heart. I am so thankful that I can be an instrument in the Lord's hands to bring His children unto Him. The church is true! I pray for you all each night. Thank you for everything :)
Love,
Hermana Egbert

P.S. For Mother's Day.. i dont get to skype but i do get to call! And mom, you can go to st george with marielle. I got permission to make 2 phone calls. but they can only be 30 minutes each. so i want you all to be the ones that hang up. otherwise i'll be a mess :) so tell me after 30 minutes that you have to go or something.. haha

my companions and i painting the Montejano's kitchen

dana y dania at their baptism!

17 chiuahuas attacking our car.. we got out and they tried to bite us. good thing i have pepper spray!

montejano's baptism

this DARLING little girl. she reminded me of londyn :( ah i miss the nieces like CRAZY

Hermana Gonzalez is a member and i told her i thought her shoes were cute so she invited us over the next day and gave me 3 pair hahah

we made the armor of god for Ping-Ping.. he's getting baptized soon!

Marisol Nielsen she's one of the Arana girls.. she married jameson nielsen.. does conner know him? he went to bingham.

anyway.. have a good week!! I CAN call you in st geezy and CAN call dad at home too! but only 30 minutes each. next week i'll let you know what time and everything. yayay.