“There and Back Again”

18 months have come and gone in the blink of an eye. They've been full of hard work, service, laughter, tears, Spanish, spanglish, good food, some not so good food, tiredness, love, sacrifice and I could not be more grateful for the time I have had to serve as a full-time missionary. 

I've learned so much, and it's really impossible to put it all in an email, or even to adequately describe it at all, but I'll try to share a few of the lessons I've learned.

1. God is in control! If it seems like everything is going wrong, or you have no idea what's going to happen, or you don't understand why something is happening, let God handle it. We can trust in Him and His timing 100%.

2. God loves us perfectly! Even though we mess up and make mistakes, God loves us no matter what.

3. Service is the key to happiness. You wouldn't think that taking a 19 year old girl and putting her in the middle of east LA and telling her to speak Spanish to strangers and to serve them would make her happier than anything else,  but it does. If you want to be happy, look outside yourself and serve someone else! 

4. Family is everything. I can't wait to see my family!

This week I was blessed to watch 2 of my dear friends, Vicky and Alfredo, choose to be baptized, and my heart was full and happy as I saw them smile and take that step to be closer to their Heavenly Father. I met them both in April 2017 and it was amazing to see them finally be able to be baptized!

I love my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ. I know They live! Sé que nos aman y que están involucrados en los detalles de nuestras vidas. Sé que este evangelio es el evangelio restaurado de Jesucristo, y que tenemos un profeta hoy en día, quien nos guía hacia nuestro Padre Celestial. Las familias pueden ser eternas a través de este evangelio. 

Que Dios bendiga a cada uno de ustedes. ¡Les amo! Hasta la vista ❤️ 

Hermana Hirschi

El Molino ☔️

Hi everyone!

It's hard to believe but this week is my last full week as a missionary. I'll send a last email next week but after that I'll be on my way home to Boise!

This week was full of rain, sick missionaries, and miracles along the way. I am always amazed at how God takes our tiny, imperfect efforts and makes miracles. It truly is through small things that great things are brought to pass.

This Saturday, two of my favorite people will be getting baptized! They've come so far and made so many changes to be able to make this step. I am so thankful for them, and thankful that God made our paths cross. I am a firm believer that God is involved in the details of our lives!

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful for Him and for His suffering. I know that He went through that because He loves us! And because He did, we can change and become better and move on and become more than our past mistakes! I've learned that as we turn our will over to Him, He can make us more than we ever imagined. 

I love you all! Thanks for your continued support!

Love,

Hermana Hirschi

Aprendimos hacer pastelitos - una comida hondureña 😋

Sent from my iPad

Hello from El Molino!

Hello everyone!

Sorry that it has been so long. The time always seems to go so much faster on Mondays, and my fingers never seem to be able to type fast enough to write everyone back!

The past few weeks have been busy and crazy! Many of you may have heard that my mom has cancer again. That has been difficult news for me to process as I'm still here in California, but I have felt a subtle but sure feeling of peace as I have prayed and asked my Father in Heaven to look out for my family. As I was studying the other day, I came across the words to a hymn that I had never heard before.

"God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Ye fearful Saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head."

(Hymn 285: God Moves in Mysterious Ways)

What beautiful, comforting words! I know that they are true! God truly does ride upon the storm, and my family and I have seen so many blessings poured out upon us. I know that He is there each step of the way. Also in Spanish the song is called "Dios obra con maravillas" (God works with wonders) and I like that even more!

I love being a missionary. There are only 3 short weeks left before I board a plane back to Idaho, and I am so full of gratitude to God for the marvelous opportunity that I have had to be His hands here in California.

We are teaching some AMAZING people, several of whom have expressed desires to be baptized. We are working with others who are working to overcome difficult family situations, others struggle with drug addictions. Others have no interest at all in listening to two white girls speak Spanish with somewhat of a gringa accent. No matter what the case, I know that this message has blessed and will bless and can bless their lives, your life, and my life. This is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the greatest teacher and leader who ever walked the earth, and He continues to teach and lead us through His prophet, through the Holy Spirit, and through the scriptures. There truly is peace in Christ.

I love each of you and I am so grateful that I know you.

Love,
Hermana Hirschi

EL MOLINO - the final transfer

HELLLOOOOOO EVERYONE!

This week, the last 6 weeks of my mission begin! I can't believe how quickly time has flown. I LOVE being a missionary.

Sister Sariah Farmer will be my companion for these next 6 weeks and I am so excited to work with her and to see miracles! 

I wish I had more time but I KNOW that this work is God's work, that following Him brings peace and that as we read about Him in the Book of Mormon and the Bible we will come to know Him even more. I love my God and my Savior.

I love you all!

Hermana Hirschi 

Sent from my iPad

El Molino ☀️

HELLOOOOOOO EVERYONE :)

Today has been a wonderful day. We woke up early and hiked in the mountains, and read in the scriptures as we sat next to a waterfall. It was heavenly and I just couldn't get over how beautiful it was. So that was the most perfect start to the day! Then we went and made pancakes for a sister missionary because it's her birthday! She works in the mission office and it was so fun to serve her! 

Every day this week has been full of miracles and evidenced that God is real and that He loves us. Yesterday, we listened to a conference broadcast from Salt Lake and one of the biggest things I took away was this:

The world is a scary place - there is a lot of evil and a lot of sadness. But there is also a LOT of good! And there are things we can do to protect our homes and families from the evil. 1. We can pray DAILY to strengthen our relationship with our Heavenly Father and to feel of His love. 2. We can study His words, in the scriptures, DAILY to learn of Him and to receive personal revelation. 3. We can look for ways to serve others DAILY, and His love will fill our hearts. I have been lucky enough to apply these counsels over the last year and a half and I KNOW that they truly do help us be closer to God and they help keep us spiritually safe. 

I love you all! I LOVE being a missionary and I am so thankful that God has given me this opportunity. I love my Heavenly Father and know that He loves me and you with a perfect, individual love.

Con amor,

Hermana Hirschi 

Sent from my iPad

El Monte to El Molino

Hello everyone!

Today's email will be short! I got a call from President today around noon telling me that I will be emergency transferred this Wednesday morning! In our mission, missionaries came from Puerto Rico after the hurricanes, and one of the sisters who was serving in El Molino will be returning to Puerto Rico this week, so I'll be going back to the branch of El Molino to finish up the last 8 weeks of my mission! I am so excited to continue serving the Lord wherever He needs me. His love and His plan continues to astonish me in ways that I can never express. I know He lives and is aware of each of us! Never, ever forget that your Father in Heaven loves YOU.

Love,

Hermana Hirschi

Sent from my iPad

El Monte ☀️

Hello everyone! 

This week was amazing. We saw a lot of miracles and we worked really hard! We met with our friend Enrique almost every day and he is progressing so much! He is really excited to be baptized on February 4th. It's amazing to see how far he has come! Hna Lyman and I met him on the street in December and he told us "I don't know anything about the Bible." Now, he comes to church every week, wants to be baptized and reads in the Book of Mormon and the Bible daily! God's power is REAL and can change people! 

Sister Lyman's birthday was this week and I worked with some other sisters to surprise her a few times which was really fun :) she is so amazing and I feel so lucky to work with her here in El Monte!

Tomorrow our mission will be starting a 40 day fast from sugar so wish us luck! I'm excited to try it out! I think it will help us relate with our friends who are stopping doing drugs or alcohol or smoking, because I know it's hard for them and so in some small way for these next 40 days we'll be able to relate a little.

I love being a missionary! I have been reflecting a lot about what I've learned over the past almost 16 months and I am just blown away by God's love. He is involved in the details of our lives and He wants us to be happy and successful. I know that He loves us! His love is there for us whether we deserve it or not, it is there on our good days and bad days, and it will never change. I'm thankful for the time I've had to learn more about that love and I'm excited to keep sharing it with all I meet.

Love,

Hermana Hirschi

Got ice cream today - the last for 40 days :(

LOVE these sisters!

It rained and we got to work in it! I loved it!

Sent from my iPad

El Monte ☔️ 😊

Hello everyone!

It is raining here in El Monte and I LOVE IT. It makes the earth beautiful and green.

This week was amazing. I don't have a ton of time so here are some highlights:

-Our friends Susana, Mario and Itzel came to church again! They love the Book of Mormon and will be baptized soon. I LOVE them.

-We had a mission conference this week and Elder Dallin H Oaks, one of the 12 Apostles today, came! We each got to shake his hand and I know that he is an apostle. God has given us prophets and apostles today, just like he did in times of old! Revelation did not stop with the Bible! He speaks today through those prophets and apostles.

-Sister Lyman and I found a REALLY good ice cream place in a sketch street mall. I love El Monte.

-There's a big street gang here in El Monte called "El Monte Flores" and this week we were trying to figure out why they would name a big, tough, scary gang something like the El Monte Flowers... 

-I STILL love being a missionary! On the 21st of this month I will have been here for 16 months and I can't imagine doing anything else. I was thinking about some of the people I knew in high school and thinking about how lucky I am, that I've had the last 16 months to develop my relationship with Christ and God while serving others, instead of partying and wasting precious time. I am so grateful for that.

I love you all! Thanks for all you do for me.

Love,

Hermana Hirschi

Meeting Elder Oaks!

EL MONTE FLORES 💐 🌷 🌹 

Sent from my iPad