It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas, full of food and family and
Christ! Yesterday was a very different, yet special Christmas for me!
I've decided that I'm not a fan of being away from my family,
especially during the holidays, but I realized that no sacrifice of
mine could ever compare to the sacrifice of Christ, and so I am more
than content to be here in California, serving He who gave all for me
and you. AND I've gained an even greater appreciation of modern
technology - I was able to FaceTime with my family for 40 minutes
yesterday and I am so grateful for the technology that made that
possible!

On Christmas Eve, Hermana Hirschi and I went to a nursing home with
Elder Cho and Elder Condie, the elders who work in our area with us
(they speak English though and we teach primarily in Spanish), and we
put on a small Christmas program for the residents there whose
families weren't there. As we sang Christmas songs and read the
Christmas story, my heart was full of love for each person, each child
of God who was there in the room with us. I wished that I could convey
to each of them personally how much Heavenly Father loves them, and I
hope we were able to do that through our music.

I'm looking forward to this new year! I will be lucky enough to spend
all 365 days of 2017 here in California, serving and loving the people
I meet here! What a blessing it is to be serving the Lord, even if my
humble service could never even begin to repay Him for all He has
done.

I am grateful for each of you and for your love and support. Thank you
to all who sent cards or letters or emails or packages wishing me a
merry Christmas! I am so lucky to have so many friends and family all
over the world.

I love each of you, and pray that God will be with you this next week
and the beginning of this new year!

Love,

Hermana Hirschi

Hermana Sarah Hirschi | Arcadia California Mission
Mailing Address:
614 W Foothill Blvd
Arcadia, CA 91006

Feliz Navidad!

Hola everyone! How are you all?

I am so excited for Christmas! Although I have to admit that it
doesn't really seem like it's Christmas... It doesn't even really seem
like it's December since it's still sunny and warm down here in
California. BUT the Christmas Spirit is alive and well in us
missionaries and in (most of) the people we talk to! It's such a
blessing to be a missionary at Christmas time. It's definitely hard
and weird to not be with my family celebrating with the normal
traditions that we have, but I love being a representative of Jesus
Christ and wouldn't trade it for anything. I love talking about Jesus
Christ all the time, but especially now, when everyone already has Him
in mind a little more than usual (although we should try to have Him
in mind every day, even when it isn't Christmas anymore).

This week has been a week full of miracles, just like every other
week. Every day Hermana Hirschi and I have people ask if we're sisters
or cousins, and they often have an incredulous look on their face when
they realize that we have the same last name! It's almost as if they
don't believe us, which is pretty funny. We are working well together,
and this past week we have been able to help 3 people set a goal of
being baptized to follow the example of Jesus Christ on January 14,
2017! I can't think of a better way for them or their families to
start the new year. Two of them are our neighbors, Luis and Dulce.
They are a sweet couple and have two cute kids, Tony and Dulce. They
have a lot of faith in Jesus Christ, and are working to overcome some
problems, and it's really amazing to see how through Christ they are
able to make progress every day. The other person who will be baptized
that day is Erica. She has been learning about the church for about 3
months now, and she has loved learning about it so far and wants to
keep learning about it! She has 5 adorable kids, and the oldest is 8,
so he might be baptized the same day as her. We are also teaching her
husband Martin, and we're helping him learn more about Jesus Christ
and His gospel as well, so hopefully he will be able to be baptized
with his wife and son. This gospel is really all about the family, and
I've seen how it has changed and strengthened families so much in the
past month that I've been here in California.

I started reading the Book of Mormon again in September, and my goal
is to finish it by Sunday as a Christmas present for Jesus Christ :)
As I've read, I've written down one phrase from each page that has
stuck out to me, and now that I'm almost done, it's beautiful to look
back on the pages and see the phrases that stuck out to me most that
day. I've gained a stronger testimony of how true the Book of Mormon
is. I know it is the word of God. It's been really cool to see how
personal the Book of Mormon is to me and also to the people who read
it for the first time. I've been lucky enough to see people reading it
and finding answers to questions like "Why does God allow suffering to
happen," and lots of other personal questions. It's a book like no
other, and no man could write a book that answers every single
person's personal questions. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of
God, and I am so grateful that we have it today. A verse that I read
this morning that I'd like to share is this:

"'Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a
better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope
cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would
make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being
led to glorify God."

I'm grateful for my faith in God, because I know that He lives and
loves me. I know that Jesus Christ is the living Son of God, who came
to earth to suffer, die, and live again so that we can someday return
to live with God and our families again. I know He lives! In this
Christmas season, I'm so grateful for the light that Christ brings to
my heart, especially in this too often dark world. What a hope that
light brings us.

I'M SO LUCKY TO BE A MISSIONARY. I hope you all know how much I love
being a missionary and how grateful I am for the support of each of
you. You mean so much to me!

May God be with each of you this Christmas! Merry Christmas!

Love,
Hermana Hirschi

Re: Hermana Hirschi y el don de lenguas

It's y'alls lucky day- here are some pictures!!

We decided to use our bikes instead of our car one day and it of course was the day it rained really hard... SO FUN I LOVED IT 😊

My study desk! We study for 4 hours every day and it's awesome. I love learning more about Jesus Christ and His gospel!

These are the other missionaries who serve in the Pomona Ward! The Hermana next to Hermana Wilde and I is Hermana Silva, and she is the wonderful member who fed us on Thanksgiving!

Selfie with Hermana Wilde in the middle of biking in the rain🌞☔️

This week we also made cookies to take to our investigators and members who live near us.

Love you all!! Sorry again that this week was short! Sorry to any of you I didn't get to reply to- I will reply next Monday! 

Hermana Sarah Hirschi | Arcadia California Mission

Mailing Address: 

614 W Foothill Blvd

Arcadia, CA 91006

Hermana Hirschi y el don de lenguas

Hola everybody!

Today will be short because I'm almost out of time. Also sorry my email didn't send last week! I'm not quite sure what happened with that.

We've seen lots of miracles the past couple weeks. I love working with the people here and teaching them all about Christ. Everyone, no matter what is going on in their lives, can be blessed by learning and talking about Christ.

I want to invite you all to watch the Light the World video on mormon.org if you haven't already. It is BEAUTIFUL. It is all about how we can serve like Jesus Christ did. I would invite you all to serve every day of December to help fill the world with the light of Jesus Christ. I know He is the source of all that is light and good in this crazy world!

Also - good story for you guys, last week I prayed really hard for the gift of tongues, or that God would help me understand and speak Spanish better. One day, we were teaching our investigator and she gave us tacos. Turns out they were tacos de lengua (tongue tacos), so I was blessed with the gift of tongues in a way I didn't expect ;)

I love you all! Sorry no pictures this week, today is very crazy. You are all in my thoughts and prayers! God is good.

God be with you!

Love,

Hermana Hirschi

Sister Sarah Hirschi | California Arcadia Mission

Mailing Address:

Sister Sarah Hirschi

614 W. Foothill Blvd
Arcadia, CA 91006

hermanahirschi.blogspot.com

Hermana Hirschi // Week 2

Hola amigos!

How has this week been for everyone? I hope it's been one full of God's love and influence. It has been for me!

This week was a little more stressful than last week, since we had lots of meetings and we also moved apartments! We had been living outside of our area, and so we moved to an apartment inside our area this week. I love it! We are in the process of decorating, so if anyone has any cute, cheap ideas for decorating an apartment, let me know :)

We were blessed this week to have lots of members of the Church feed us dinners! I've tried some really great Mexican foods, and a couple not so great. My least favorite so far would probably be ceviche. It was made with shrimp and that is one of my least favorite foods, so that was hard to get down. But I prayed a lot in my heart as I was eating and somehow I was able to eat it. I think the favorite dish I've tried so far has been tostadas with beans and salsa and guacamole and cheese and lettuce and tomatoes - wow that is delicious. I've tried lots of drinks here too - horchata, agua fresca (basically this super yummy juice) and jamaica (made from hibiscus flowers) and I love all those. 

I've been very humbled by the people here. Lots of them have so little, and they are always so happy. I think it's made me realize even more how you can be happier than the richest man in the world if you have God and your family! Thank goodness I have both :) 

Today I studied a lot about hope. Lots of times I think we view hope as something like "I hope it rains today," or "I hope I get a good grade on this test," but really I think it is so much more! Hope is really meant to be "sure, unwavering, and active." Isn't that beautiful? It's something that is sure. We have a sure hope through Christ, that we can change and be saved if we apply His Atoning Sacrifice in our lives. "And what is it that he shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that he shall have hope through the Atonement of Christ and the power of His resurrection to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in Him." (Moroni 7:41, the Book of Mormon) I love that. I am working to increase my hope by increasing my faith in Christ this week by trying to rely more on His grace when I am not enough (which is always).

I love you all! Thank you for the support and love and prayers. You are in my prayers as well. God be with you!

Love,

Hermana Hirschi

Hermana Sarah Hirschi | Arcadia California Mission

Mailing Address: 

614 W Foothill Blvd

Arcadia, CA 91006

Pictures:

1. Hermana Wilde and I and her first ever Slurpee!!!

2. Making pancakes with Hermana Arriola

3. An awesome dog we saw cruisin along

4. Missionary selfies are a must at any meetings

5. The sunsets here are INCREDIBLE. Sometimes we can see the outline of LA on the horizon with a brilliantly blazing sky behind it and it takes my breath away.

6. The donut hole. You drive through it and pick out a donut and they're amazing.

7. Hermana Wilde and I made tostadas! 

8. Our fun roommates before we moved! Hermanas Kingston & Arriola

Hola from Covina!

​​HOLA EVERYBODY!

Wow what a wonderful past couple weeks it has been. I don't know that I could adequately describe it if I tried. It has been full of wonderful learning and growing experiences and I love my mission more than I thought would be possible!

My companion is Hermana Wilde! She is from Ammon, ID and is just the greatest missionary I've met! She speaks Spanish very well, and isn't afraid to talk to anybody. We get along super well and I've already learned so much from her. I love her so much!

Right now, we are serving in the Pomona West area, which covers a lot of Covina and some of Pomona as well. We're actually opening up this area; there haven't been sister missionaries in this area for several years, so it's been fun to figure out the area together. I LOVE IT. I love all the people and I love the food and almost most of all I love the warm weather. I can't believe that it's November, and it's still 95 degrees outside. I'm so grateful Heavenly Father let me come to a warm mission :)

Something I've learned a lot this week is that God strengthens us for the things He asks us to do. There is absolutely no way that I would be able to wake up at 6:30 every day, study for 4 hours, talk to people I don't know in a language I don't really know until 9:00pm, and sleep at 10:30pm without His help. I've felt strength beyond my own multiple times and I'm so grateful for His love and influence in my life.

A phrase from the Book of Mormon that I love is this: "Their joy shall be in the Lord." WOW that is so true! As I've studied the scriptures and learned more about Him, and spent all day, every day working to invite other people to come to Him, my joy has been so full. The Lord is so good, and I am so grateful He has let me come to this mission to work in this great work.

I love you all! Send me letters and emails and anything your heart desires - I would love to hear from you. If you do send letters or packages, please make sure my whole name (Hermana Sarah Hirschi) is on it since there is another Hermana Hirschi here :)

God be with you all!

Love,

Hermana Hirschi

California Arcadia Mission

Mailing Address:

Sister Sarah Hirschi

614 W. Foothill Blvd
Arcadia, CA 91006

hermanahirschi.blogspot.com

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I'm Leavin' On A Jet Plane!

Hola amigos y familia!

I officially only have a week left in the MTC! This time next Tuesday, I'll be in California! I'm SO excited. I also can't believe that it's been almost 6 weeks! Some days it felt like 6 weeks would never end. We got our travel plans this week and I'll be leaving the MTC at 4:20am next Tuesday. SO EXCITING!

This week honestly is such a blur. The days went by so quickly, I can't believe it's Pday again today. It was a week full of laughter and some hard moments as usual. I've made so many dear friends here and had so many wonderful moments. 

I think the greatest thing that I learned this week is something I already knew and was just reminded of. I sat in the Provo Temple this morning, thinking about my testimony of Christ and this gospel and was overwhelmed by a sense of peace. I realized that I know that Christ lives. It's not just a belief or something that I hope is true, it's something that I honestly know, just like I know that the sky is blue. It's not something that I doubt or wonder about, I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He is my Savior and Redeemer. I know that God loves me. I feel so grateful that I know these things, and that I get to share this knowledge with the people in California! 

I definitely don't know everything - I think my knowledge is summed up in this scripture from the Book of Mormon. A prophet named Nephi is asked by a messenger from God, "Knowest thou the condescension of God?" and Nephi replies, "I know that He loveth His children, nevertheless I do not know the meaning of all things." (1 Nephi 11: 16-17) I feel exactly like Nephi! I don't know everything, and I don't know the answers to all the questions that I have or that others have. However, I know with absolute surety that God loves His children! He loves me, and He loves each of you. I think it's so cool that the God and Creator of this world knows and loves each of His children individually. 

With this being the last week in the MTC, all mail (DearElders, packages, letters, etc) sent here to me needs to arrive by Saturday so I make sure to receive it. If you want to send something to me after this time in the MTC, the address for the mission home in California is on my blog! This is where everything should be sent for the next 17 months.

Thank you all for your support and love and prayers! I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends and family surrounding me. I am thankful for each one of you.

God be with you! Te amo!

Sister Sarah Hirschi | California Arcadia Mission

MTC Address: 

Sister Sarah Hirschi

NOV01 CA-ARC

2005 N 900 E Unit 259

Provo, UT 84602

hermanahirschi.blogspot.com

​Pictures:

1. My district and I found this MormonAd this week and wow it's so true. Keep us updated! We love any and all news from our friends and families :) 

2. WE HAVE OUR TRAVEL PLANS! We were so excited.

3. My sweet friends and sisters! Four of these sisters left this morning and yesterday for their missions.

4. I'm SO excited to go to California! Flight plans made it even more exciting.

5. Hermanas Rolfson and Wheelwright! I love them! 

6. Hermana Flores and I with Hermana Deakin. She's amazing. (Also s/o to the elders photobombing in the background)

7. All the Spanish speaking hermanas with our "MTC Dad" President Price. We love him!

8. All the beautiful hermanas again! 

9. Pajama selfies with our hermanas!

10. Hermana Flores and I with Hermana Machlachlan! We love her.

11. Hermana Rolfson and I! She's going to BYU after her mission too, so we're already planning our reunion

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