The Lord Knows

Dear Family and Friends,

I've been asked many times to finish up my adventures as a missionary and post some pictures. It has been hard to sit and put all my thoughts and emotions into words about the final days of my mission but I am going to try my best to express what an amazing experience I had serving the Lord and the people of San Fernando, California. Because although it was incredibly trying, being a missionary was also the most rewarding experience I have ever had. I am so grateful for the time I was given to bring the gospel to others and for them to teach me by their humble and sincere examples. It is something I would never trade for anything!

My last week in the mission field was back in May. It was a short week for me because it was when I got the call telling me that Salt Lake had decided that I should go home to recover. After President Hall told me the news, everything seemed to go so fast. They already had flight plans for me. Those last few days are such a blur, I'm still not quite sure what happened. Luckily I have pictures to jog my memory. :)

Saying goodbye to Jackie. I walked her dog Tarzan every week with my companions. Hermana Moir and I gave her a Book of Mormon which she was excited to read. When we gave it to her she said, "Remember I told you that I can't remember what I read anymore?" We promised her that she would be happy by reading it. She is in her 90s and is one of the classiest ladies I know. I loved the talks we had about "those Mormon missionaries" and seeing her smile every time we walked in.

Saying good by to sassy Felicia, the director at Avant Garde where we volunteered every week. She loved having the missionaries come help her. (And she often gave us ice cream, my favorite :)

My last district meeting. I loved this district so much. These missionaries took such great care of me. Special thanks to my dear companion Hermana Moir who sat through countless doctors appointments and gave me the greatest pep talks. I don't know what I would have done without her. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father sent her to me! She was my angel.

My district leader Elder McKinney. I am so grateful for him and his support. He was always ready to serve me and my companion. I'm grateful for leaders and friends who help us through hard times!

Our last family history night with Carlitos. He was still shocked that I was going home the next day, as you can tell. haha

The Family History specialists. I learned so much for them! They became a little family to me.

Doing the Lord's work will make you so happy! I can even back that up with a quote from President Russel M. Nelson: "You can experience true delight from family history work. Searching for and finding family members who have preceded you on earth - those who did not have an opportunity to accept the gospel while here - can bring immense joy."

***

After lots of goodbyes, and a long airplane ride, I was finally able to see the people who I had missed so much. My family supported me through everything and I'm so grateful they let me leave so I could have so many amazing experiences serving the Lord. But lets just say "home sweet home" took on a new meaning for me. Getting to hug my family was just what I needed. I know that families can be eternal! I am so grateful for that truth, and for my incredible family

All together again!

 Can't forget Jack..

***

It was so bittersweet to come home. I loved my mission so much, but knew that Heavenly Father knew me personally and that his ways are higher than my ways. I loved what Elder Rafael E. Pino said last General Conference, "The Lord knows what He wants to accomplish with each one of us." I know with all my heart that He has a plan and that as I trust in His plan for me, I will witness blessings and miracles in my life. He also said, "The Lord knows where each piece belongs so that it fits into the plan." -His perfect plan.

After a month of testing in the mission, I was finally able to find the cause of the pain when I came back to Maryland. It was nothing short of a miracle! I know Heavenly Father was with me every step of my journey. I had my gallbladder removed a week after returning home. 

 Coming out of surgery and already feeling so much better.

A sweet note from my sister.

***

I am so grateful for the testimony I have that I grew to love so much while serving the Lord as a missionary. I know that the He is in charge of His missionary work. I feel so privileged that I was able to serve my Lord and my God. I know that He lives and that He knows us and loves us perfectly. Jesus Christ is our Savior. His Atonement is infinite and all encompassing. We can turn to Him who understands completely. He lives! I know that Heavenly Father really does listen to our prayers and answers them. I can testify that the gospel is what brings us true happiness in life. It is what has brought happiness to me. I am so grateful that I got to see the miracle of the Atonement change the lives of those around me, especially mine. I love Him and I love His gospel. I know that there really is a divine plan that our loving Heavenly Father has prepared for our eternal happiness.

Estoy tan agradecida por la oportunidad de participar en la gran obra del Señor.

Love,

Rachel

"Following His light and example will bring us joy, happiness, and peace." Elder Quentin L. Cook

Week 44: A Pretty Tough Week

Hola todos!

This week has been a pretty tough but we were able to make it through. With my stomach pain and Hermana Moir coming down with the stomach flu, we were quite the sight to see. Luckily Hermana Moir is doing much much better. :) I was actually grateful that I got to take care of her since she has done so much for me!

We went to have family night with the Monzon's, a less active family we have been working with. We talked about the Book of Mormon and committed them to start reading it. Little Jareth just loves us and always asks for more "shelfies" (selfies). They came to church yesterday! We were so excited!! We had 3 little kids sitting by us the whole time. They kept asking us to draw them pictures and hold their hand. haha I don't think I learned anything during sacrament meeting, but I do know that the Spirit was so strong and I am so grateful that we can go and partake of the Sacrament every week.

Picture with Jareth. We had family night with her and her family.

We went to serve at the assisted living center and took Tarzan and Lucky out for a walk. Tarzan's owner, Jackie, is one of our favorite people. She is from New York and has a thick accent that I just love. She is 90 years old! She has been a Jew her whole life and always tells us we should look into it. This week though she started asking us questions about our Church and she even admitted that she went on a tour of Temple Square in Salt Lake City! She told us "I would have converted right there to your religion if my rabbi brother wasn't with me." I asked her why and she thought and finally said, "I can't quite remember. I have a bad memory so I don't remember what they said that interested me. But I can still remember the feeling I had there." What a wonderful testament that was to me that Heavenly Father loves His children. When the He speaks truth to our heart through the Holy Spirit, our spirits can never forget it. We ended up having a wonderful conversation with her and committed her to read the Book of Mormon. She laughed though and said, "Yes I'll read your book, but I can't promise I will remember what I read!" And then we smiled and promised her that she would remember what she feels.

I meant to get a picture but I forgot! We had El Salvadorian Quesadillas this week. Only they aren't what you are picturing.. they are like a dessert! And they are baked in a muffin tin! I'm trying to get the Hermana to give me the recipe because I'm in love and I want to make them for you!

Yesterday we ate dinner with the Morgan family. I love them! They are a recent convert family (actually, Hermana Francis taught them!) and we asked them to share with us how they knew the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was true. My favorite response was Alex, the 17 year old just because of how simple his answer was. "I prayed and I felt happy."  When we asked them about their Book of Mormon reading they smiled and said, "We already finished it!" We laughed and taught them the importance of reading it daily throughout their whole lives. I love this quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley: "Without reservation I promise you that if you will prayerfully read the Book of Mormon, regardless of how many times you have read it, there will come into your hearts ... the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God."

I testify to the truthfulness of those words! There is strength and power that comes from reading the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. As missionaries we often challenge others to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know of its truthfulness by the Holy Ghost, as promised by Moroni. I was studying about this last week and I love what it says in Preach My Gospel, "You too should also apply this promise regularly and renew your own testimony of the Book of Mormon. This testimony will help you maintain a firm confidence that anyone who applies this promise will receive an answer."

If you haven't read and prayed about the Book of Mormon and asked God if it is true, I challenge you to do so! And if you already have, I challenge you to do so again! I will be this week, too! I know that Heavenly Father always confirms truth and you will be able to feel it through the Holy Ghost.

Thanks again to all of you for all your prayers as I am going through all these medical tests. I have really felt your prayers pushing me through this week. I used to freak about all the different possibilities but now I just feel really peaceful that whatever happens is what God wants for me.

Yo se que el Libro de Mormon es verdadero! El contiene toda la plenitud del evangelio. Al leerlo, podemos recibir un testimonio firme que Jesus es el Cristo y que el nos ama.

Les quiero!

Hermana Buxton

We got a watermelon and we were so excited...until we cut it open and it looked weird. We were so sad that it didn't taste good. 

We had a meeting with the bishop as a district and met their new puppy angel! Elder McKinney is holding him.

District lunch in honor of "may the fourth be with you" and "cinco de mayo" 

 

Welcome to California, where palm trees grow as weeds :)

Week 43: Do the Best You Can

Hello! I hope all is well :)

 

This week has been pretty fun-ish! I have had lots of doctor's appointments. The amazing thing about that is that you don't stop being a missionary the whole time! I still get to be a representative of Jesus Christ even there. I have loved talking to nurses and doctors about what I believe. They always have so many questions about our Church. They wouldn't let me put my name tag on my hospital gown but hey - they still recognized me as a missionary and a member of Jesus Christ's church. :) haha  We had a lesson with Carlos and a scripture we read in Mosiah reminds me of this: "Stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in." I am grateful that I can be a witness of Him everyday.

 

This week the phrase "just do the best you can" from President Hall has been helping me through. I think it goes for everyone no matter where you are on the path that leads to Heavenly Father. Just do the best you can, and He will help with the rest. But do something. I read something this week in one of the Ensigns that said something along the lines of: sometimes we need to take a few steps in the dark with faith that God will put solid ground underneath our feet. I love that!

 

This weekend we had Stake Conference and Elder Heiman of the seventy came to speak. He was such a wonderful speaker! And he had pretty good Spanish! This is how he said we could come closer to the Lord:

1) Keep the Commandments

2) Trust Him

3) Serve others

 

We also found a part member family that we started teaching this week! We are super excited to keep teaching the Rodriguez family. :)

 

Yo se que esta iglesia es verdadera. No hay ninguna cosa mas preciosa que dedicar tiempo en el servicio del Senor. Estoy tan agradecida por todas las bendiciones que he visto en mi mision, y por el gran cambio que la expiacion nos da. Amo a mi Salvador, y estoy agradecida por su sacrificio expiatorio. Yo se que las familias pueden ser eternas por el divino plan de Dios. Estoy agradecida que tengo una familia eterna. :)

 

I love you!

 

Con amor,

 

Hermanita Buxton

We did a service project where we cleaned up the trash around the LA river.

New district picture. (my district leader is Elder McKinney-he is wearing the polkadot tie)

A letter from Elder Pachner sent 10 months ago to the Mexico City MTC. It finally caught up with me.

 Crazy cactus!

Week 42: Happy in Any Circumstance

Dear familia,

Well here is the view from the bottom of our mission! The ocean! Yup that is as close as we can get but it is still super pretty. We went to what is known in the mission as "The Rock." Just this big rock on the side of the mountain that over looks the ocean. It was super cool.

 The Rock!

District pic.. without the district leader or his companion.. I'm not sure why they weren't in it.

 Zone picture...minus our zone leader who took the picture.

Last Monday something crazy happened! We were turning left and a car decided to run the red light and they almost hit us on Hermana Moir's side. I have no idea how our car went from being right in collision's way to watching the other car zoom beside us but I know it has nothing to do with my car maneuvering skills. Angels moved our car out of the way. It all happened super fast and the car ended up just barely hitting the car behind us (after screeching to a stop). It was so scary and Hermana Moir and I are so grateful that we were protected and watched over.

We got a new investigator this week! Jasmine. She moved from the elder's area so she has been taught a little before. She struggles with drugs and alcohol and before she came to us the elders did an intervention with her and the hermano who teachs the ARP class (addiction recovery program). She hadn't gone but we were able to get her to go this week! She loved it and the class is centered on repentance and receiving help from our Heavenly Father. Jasmine is so nice and she is really wanting to change her life around and get her kids back. She said she will do anything to have happiness in her life again. It reminded me of the scripture in Alma 22:18 "if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee." It is amazing to me to see the Spirit work in others to move them on the path to repentance and change. I truly do know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, change is possible.

This week has been really hard for me. But I have really felt all of your prayers carrying me through the week. We had dinner with a member yesterday and she was talking about her trials that she had a few years ago. She told us that she had no idea why she was given those and at the time felt like God didn't love her. But now she understands why. Now she is stronger and she can see the blessings that came from her trial. She didn't know about my health problems but it really touched me. It made me think that through life we need to always have an eternal perspective. It is the only way to truly be happy in any circumstance. It made me think of a quote by president Uchtdorf, "When we are grateful in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. ...It is a gratitude that heals the heart and expands the mind. ... It requires that we trust God and hope for things which are not seen, which are true." My trust and faith in God is growing. I'm grateful for the hard times, because they bring us to our knees and we come to know our Father in Heaven more.

One more thing I want to share. In zone conference President Hall shared a story that I loved. It was about a less active member who began to come back to church. After some time, he went to the Temple. As he sat in the Celestial Room, an overwhelming peace and joy came to him. He shared his feelings with one of his ward members that had fellow shipped him and said, "I am so grateful that I came back." His friend said, "Brother, we are all coming back."

I know that we are all on our way back to our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for my mission. I feel like it has helped me on my journey to "come back" to our heavenly home and help others make the steps to come back as well. I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through His teachings and His atonement, the way back will be illuminated. We will not be surrounded by darkness. He has shown us the way. And God has given us the tools to stay on the strait and narrow path that leads home. Don't forget to pray, study the scriptures, and keep trying everyday to "walk in the light of His love."

I love you! and I know that God loves you, too!

Con mucho amor y carino,

Hermana Buxton

 Danny loves Bambi!

Bambi wanted me to hold her in my lap when we were eating but I wouldn't so she went and sat on my purse instead. haha

 The cutest little girl, Jareth (we ate with them yesterday)

Tacos de Guatemala con la familia Monzon

 Saying goodbye to hermana McGlothin before she went home.

 A Karate Kid mural.
 

At the library just now.