My talk in sacrament meeting Oct 28

Yes, I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting this past Sunday and I'm alive to tell about it. Now this is not a big deal to most people but if you have glanced down you will see that the test is in Spanish. Yes, I gave my talk in Spanish!! The WHOLE thing!! I wrote it in English (scoll down for the English version) and Carlos translated it for me. Yep, Wow is right! But I did it.

Now I have to live it.


Buenos días hermanos y hermanas:

Cuando el Presidente Ramírez nos pidió ha Carlos y a mi que discursáramos hoy, tengo que admitir que me moleste un poquito. Mi pensamiento era ““¿Como puedo yo dar un discurso si tengo tanto problema con el idioma? Nadie quiere escuchar a esta gringa trabándose con las palabras! ¿Como lo puedo hacer? ¿Talvez lo pueda escribir y que Carlos lo de por mi?” No quería dar este discurso, entonces me senté a cocer y el espíritu me hizo algunas preguntas.

“ Donde esta su fe, Cindy? ¿Donde esta su fe en Nuestro Padre Celestial? ¿No piensas que el te ayudara? ¿No has estado leyendo en las escrituras acerca de la fe? ¿Hay alguna cosa difícil para el Señor? ¿Donde esta tu fe? ”
Continué cociendo, tratando de ignorar la situación, no quería pensar al respecto, no quería hacerlo.

Si embargo, creo que mi Padre Celestial tenía otras cosas en mente para mí porque mi costura no iba muy bien. Estaba cometiendo errores y tuve que repetir cosas que ya había echo. Cuando me preguntaba porque estaba teniendo tanta dificultad, se me vino en mente la historia de Jonás. El Señor le pidió a Jonás que hiciera algo que el no quería hacer, si embargo el Señor lo convenció hacerlo. De nuevo el espíritu me indico que me parara y preparara mi discurso y que tuviera fe.

Vivir el evangelio es como mi español, hablo poco, la voy pasando, entiendo algunas cosas, hablo un poco. Hablar y comprender el español es difícil para mi, sin embargo he estado en Costa Rica casi dos años y estoy bien… ¿Ho es así? ¿Podría estar mejor?
¿Talvez pudiera hablar mejor si tratara más fuerte y estudiara más? La verdad es que no estoy estudiando español… porque es difícil y ahí la voy pasando.


En el evangelio algunas veces la vamos pasando, hacemos las cosas básicas pero de ahí no avanzamos. Venimos a la iglesia, talvez leemos las escrituras, pagamos nuestros diezmos y ofrendas, y hasta talvez hemos ido al templo. Nosotros entendemos que podemos hacer más, pero pensamos que es difícil. Como el Señor nos puede pedir que hagamos algo que es tan difícil? Algunas veces es mas fácil escribir el discurso y que otro lo de. Las preguntas que tenemos que contestar son… ¿Estoy haciendo todo lo que puedo hacer por vivir el evangelio? ¿Que mas quiere Nuestro Padre Celestial que yo haga?

¿Como puedo mejorar mi español y en vivir el evangelio? Tengo que hacer más, no solo ir pasándola. Tengo que en realidad vivir lo que mi Padre Celestial me pide. Una de las cosas que debo hacer es mis visitas como maestra visitante, se que debo visitar a mis hermanas, se que es importante, pero no lo hago. ¿Por qué? Mis razones me parecen buenas, no puedo hablar la lengua bien, mis hermanas no me van a entender o yo a ellas. ¿Pero mis razones son suficientes para el Señor? ¿El va a entender que no lo pude hacer porque como hablar español o vivir el evangelio era muy difícil para mí? Cuando este frente a el en el día de juicio, viendo las marcas de los clavos en sus manos ¿le podré decir, lo hubiera echo pero era muy difícil?

¿Que es difícil si en realidad tenemos Fe en Nuestro Padre Celestial y Jesucristo?

Yo se que mi padre celestial nos ama, el me ama. Yo se que el me va ayudar a hacer lo que me pide. Nunca quiero tener que decirle a mi Salvador “lo habría hecho pero era muy difícil”

Les dejo este testimonio en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.

*******

ENGLISH VERSION

Good morning, Brothers and Sisters

When Pres. Ramirez asked Carlos and I to speak today, I must tell you I was a little upset. My first thought was ‘how can I give a talk when I have such difficulty with the language? No one wants to hear the gringa stumble over the words! How can I do that? Maybe I’ll write it and Carlos can give it for me.” I did not want to give this talk. So I sat down to start sewing and the spirit asked me a few questions.
“Where is your faith, Cindy? Where is your faith in Heavenly Father? Don’t you think he will help you? Haven’t you been reading in the scriptures about faith? Is anything too difficult for the Lord? Where is your faith?”
I continued to sew, trying to put it out of my mind. I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to do it.
However, I think Heavenly Father had other things in mind for me because my sewing wasn’t going well. I kept making mistakes, having to take out what I had done. While I was wondering why I had such a problem with my sewing the story of Jonah came to my mind. The Lord asked Jonah to do something but Jonah didn’t want to do it however Heavenly Father talked him into it. Again the spirit whispered to me to get up and go write my talk and exercise more faith

Living the gospel is like my Spanish. I speak a little. I get by. I understand some things. I speak a little. Speaking and understanding Spanish is very difficult for me. However, I’ve been here in Costa Rica almost 2 years. I’m doing ok…or am I? Could I be doing better? Maybe I could speak better if I tried harder, studied more. The truth is I don’t study Spanish much at all now…because it’s just too hard and I’m doing ok like I am.

In the gospel sometimes we just get by. We do the basic things but we don’t go farther than that. We come to church, we may read the scriptures, pay our tithing and fast offerings, we may even go to the temple. We understand that we could do more but it seems too hard. How can the Lord ask us to do something that is so hard to do? Sometimes it’s just easier to write the talk and let someone else give it. The questions we each have to ask ourselves are…Am I doing all I can to live the gospel? What else does Heavenly Father want me to do?

How can I do better with my Spanish as well as living the gospel? I need to start doing more, not just getting by. I need to start truly living what Heavenly Father has asked me to do. One of the things I know I need to be doing is my visiting teaching. I know I should go visit my sisters, I know it’s important, but each month I don’t do it. Why? My reasons seem good enough to me; I don’t speak the language well, the sisters won’t understand me, what if I don’t understand them. But ARE my reasons good enough for the Lord? Will he understand that I just couldn’t do it because, just like speaking Spanish, going visiting teaching or living the gospel better, it was just too difficult? When I stand before him on the Day of Judgment, seeing the nail prints in his hands, will I truly be able to look at my Savior and say, ‘I would have done it, but it was just too hard’.
What is too hard when we truly have faith in our Father in Heaven and in Jesus Christ?

I know my Father in Heaven Loves us. I know He loves me. I know he will help me to do what he has asked me to do. I never want to have to tell my Savior “I would have done it, but it was just too hard.”

I bear this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Just so you don't think nothing ever happens in Costa Rica

So the other night I was collecting the dog dishes (yes we have more than one dog...3 to be exact. And that is 2 more than I really want...but, as my daughter says, 'I digress') Where was I? Oh, yes, bending over to get the dog dishes.

Now I have to tell you that Napo, the biggest of the 3, father of the youngest (Puppiz) and X spouse to Negrita (we had her fixed so Napo has no interest in her now...but she still follows him where ever he goes anyway). Napo is a Wiemerane (misspelled) but acts much like a horse at times jumping up on his hind legs and bouncing around like tigger (of Winnie the pooh fame) particularly at meal time! Back to my story...

Where was I? Right, so I was bending over picking up Napo's bowl when he starts bouncing around like a horse...only trouble was that I was above him when he went up!! Yep, his head met the side of my nose and cheek! It sounded like 12 eggs crunching and hurt like...well, really bad. I let out a scream that I'm sure they heard in San Jose-at least loud enough that even my dear husband so doesn't hear much since the TV is so loud came running out to the deck! There I was crying holding my nose trying to tell him what happened. This is kind of how it went....

me: cry, cry, AAHHHHH (still holding my face for fear it was going to fall off)
Carlos: What happened? (trying to pull my hands away from my face)
Me: Napo, cry, cry, _it me. cry cry
Carlos: Napo BIT YOU?
Me: No, he cry cry _it me! cry cry
Carlos: How did he bite you?
Me: He HIT cry cry HIT me cry cry with his cry cry stupid cry cry head! cry cry
Carlos: HIT YOU? How did he hit you?
ME: He just did, cry cry, stupid dog...cry cry,
Carlos: well I hope your nose isn't broken...they can't do anything for a broken nose!
Me: cry, cry...a little harder now thinking that my nose is off to the size of my face!
Carlos: Let me see, let me see....is it crocked?
Me: cry, cry,
Carlos: How did Napo do this?
Me: cry, cry...stupid dog!
Carlos: he didn't know
Me: cry, cry, stupid dog!
Carlos: Wow you'll probably have a black eye tomorrow
Me: cry, cry, cry!!!
Carlos: I'll get you some ice!
Dona Flor(the lady that takes care of my mother-in-law): she needs a piece of meat to put on it!
Carlos: Meat? What kind of meat?
Dona Flor: beef steak
Carlos: Let me get some ice!
Me: Cry, cry...(now looking in the mirror)
Carlos: Bet you'll have a shiner tomorrow...hope it's not broken...people will think I hit you...they won't beleive the dog did it!!

So there I sat for the next couple of hours with ice on the side of my nose looking in the mirror to see if it was swelling. Carlos and Dona Flor decided that it didn't look that bad but would probably look worse in the morning.

Well, I'm here to tell you that, 3 days later, other than a tiny bit of swelling and sore enough to the touch that I have a hard time wearing my glasses or shades, it isn't too bad....and I didn't even need the steak!

So, just when you think that nothing happens in Costa Rica....now you know, life is "Pura Vida" (pure life) here...even when the stupid dog whacks me in the face...

or so they keep telling me!!

PS....just in case you are wondering...Carlos has been very good about this and very helpful...sometimes the way he says things just come out a little different! But, that's the way it is...and I keep loving him!