A Day in the Life

Have you ever wondered what missionaries do all day? Well let me tell you, we have the best lives!

Every morning, we get up early and do some exercise. In our case, that means a combination of hula, Charleston (to the band Lower Lights), and yoga. We get ready for the day and we get to spend a whole hour studying the scriptures. If you've never studied the scriptures for a whole hour, you're missing out. It definitely centers your chi. Then we study together for an hour - we share what we learned and prepare for the day. After that we study Spanish, eat lunch and head out. All day we get to visit with people and share with them how the gospel of Christ has made us happy and can make them happy too. Then we head home and make plans for another exciting day! We have the greatest life!

This morning in personal study, I learned that if you want to ALWAYS be happy there are just four things you have to do. Do you want to know what they are? Mosiah 3:11-12 http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/4.11-12?lang=eng#11

Happy New Year! When you're setting those goals, remember that "Goals are a reflection of the desires of your heart." My philosophy on goals has always been, go big or go home! So try to astonish yourself this year!

Have a great week!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

We got a new apartment for Christmas! With a fireplace for our stockings! 

And a washer and dryer for the rest of our clothes.

Big Christmas plans - play with children at a shelter. Make tamales. Give people Christmas oranges and teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Have a happy Christmas and remember who's birthday we're celebrating!

Whose Birthday Is It?

This week, we got to go to a Zone Conference with a member of the Seventy (translation for those who aren't up on their Mormon lingo: we had a meeting with a bunch of missionaries and a church leader). I loved it! One of my favorite parts was when we talked about an incredible vision Moses had, where he saw the universe and everything that God created. Through out this vision God calls him, "Moses, my son." Isn't it incredible that the Man who placed the stars and formed the mountains calls each of us son or daughter? And we have the privilege of calling him Father.

A missionary Christmas season is different than normal; so far I'm loving it! We get to focus on Christ and his coming. The other day, a woman told us that when she was growing up, her parents taught her that since we're celebrating Christ's birthday, he's the one that ought to get the presents. It's so true! When we focus on what we can give to Him, we can have a very merry Christmas!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Odds and Ends

I found my favorite street corner!

Also Sister Rivas and I have a new motto!

Also the other day I found a new best friend. This kitten was wandering through the parking lot at church. So so cute! Wish I could keep him!

Have a wonderful week!

Where in the World is Sister Biancardi?

Well everyone! You'll never guess where I am? Las Cruces! That's right. I'll be serving here in Las Cruces for at least the next 6 weeks. It's been a great first week here with Sister Rivas. We've seen so many miracles and are having so much fun!

Thanksgiving was great! It was warm so we went to the park and made lots of friends there! It was so much fun! The ducks all had a thing for Sister Rivas and just kept following her!

Check out the beautiful mountains of Las Cruces!

In the south part of Las Cruces, there's a little town called Tortugas. It's really old and really Catholic. I wish I knew the story of how this little town came to be; all I know is they've got a beautiful old church!

Farewell Horizon City

Drum Roll Please...........

After 7 months in Horizon, I got the call that I'm moving out. I get to stay in El Paso, but I'll be serving in a different area. My time out here in Horizon has been so precious to me. I have met so many incredible people and seen so many miracles. 

It's been such an eventful week! On Tuesday we visited the oldest still-functioning church in the United States. It was built in 1682. We got there 15 minutes after they closed the doors, but the outside was nice! What a beautiful piece of history!

We also visited an old Catholic graveyard from the same time period. The great thing about Mexican graveyards is that they're a happy place, not a spooky place. Doesn't it look happy? The great news is that death doesn't have to be a sad thing because it isn't the end. Everyone - that's right, every single one of us - will continue to exist after we die. And just like Christ, we will be resurrected, where the spirit is reunited with the body, never again to separate or feel any pain! What an incredible gift from the Savior!

This week we had a meeting down in Fabens, which meant a beautiful drive through the fields of San Elizario! it also meant I got to take a picture on the infamous Fabens rooster! 

Monumental news! We got snow! And it's all El Paso can talk about this week! Practically over night, temperatures dropped over 20 degrees and we woke up to snow. Dear Utahns, try not to laugh too hard; this is Texas, after all. This is what El Paso calls "mucha nieve!!"

Of course the worst part about leaving an area is all of the goodbyes! Here are a few pictures of some close friends in our ward. This is Hermana Favela and her daughter Hermana Amaya. They are both so kind and faith-filled. I have loved the opportunity to learn from their examples!

And this is our good bishop and his family. They are just wonderful - such a missionary family! They truly have their eye "single to the glory of God."

And of course I'm so sad to be leaving behind my partners in crime, the lovely Sister Oxley as well as the other sisters in our ward, Hermana Pipkin and Hermana Maxwell. I also am going to miss Elder and Sister Muntzing, who are serving as missionaries in the ward as well - such a powerful couple, determined to serve the Lord! I know that they'll keep doing incredible work here in Mission Trail ward. 

I'm definitely going to miss this beautiful town of Horizon. But my good friend, the Happy Meal Cowardly Lion, gave me some good advice: Be strong and of good courage!

Well I'm signing out, here in Horizon. Who knows where I'll be emailing from next week! Hope you all have a great week!

Sister Biancardi

Selling Oranges!

I learned a new favorite phrase! "No estamos vendiendo naranjas!" For those of you who remember your high school Spanish class, it literally means, "We're not selling oranges!" It's kind of random and makes me laugh! In context, it's used to mean, "We're not messing around" or "the work we're doing is important" As missionaries, we teach people how they can take steps to come unto Christ and have greater happiness, strength, support, patience, joy, courage - the list goes on and on! Who wouldn't want all these blessings! No estamos vendiendo naranjas!

Speaking of selling things, we see lots of random stands by the side of the road, usually selling fruit or odds and ends. This week, we saw someone on the side of the road with a sign that said, "For Sale: Baby Turtles!" Oh how I wish we'd had time to stop! 

The other day we were walking down the street when we were set upon by a flock of wild children! That's right! Twelve adorable little kids came up to us, "Who are you?" "Where are you going?" "What are you doing?" "Are you here to play with us?" They were so stinking cute! So we stopped and played a game with them! So much fun!

Have a great week

Another Wonderful Week!

That drive up from El Paso to Albuquerque never gets old! Isn't the sun gorgeous!

We got to stop in a little town called Elephant Butte to eat dinner with a family there. It was so kind of them to invite all 12 of us missionaries to eat with them! Driving through Elephant Butte, we saw a lovely little church. So glad the founders had a sense of humor!

This week we got to help a good friend of ours, Emily, making a fantastic Uncle Sam hat for school! Isn't she awesome?!?!

This week, we got to see lots of new members of the church taking on responsibility on Sunday. Jesse Garcia gave a talk in sacrament meeting! (The leaders of the ward assign different members to speak about a gospel subject, rather than always having the same preacher.) Raul Hernandez got to bless the sacrament, the bread and water we eat to represent the sacrifice that Christ has made for us. And Maria Lopez gave a prayer in one of the meetings. I know that as we take on challenges and responsibilities, whether they're big or small, or faith gets a little workout and has the chance to become stronger.

Have a wonderful week!

Only in Horizon City!

The things we find in Horizon!

Yesterday in church we learned about family history. It was so exciting! Family history is all about putting together the stories of your heritage, the things that make you you!

Look what we found driving down to Fabens! I don't know quite why it's there but I like it!

Have a great week everyone!

Missionary Pumpkins!

We had an exciting district meeting this week, carving pumpkins! All the missionaries were super creative! This one says "Tiene Fe?" (Got Faith?)

This one has the familiar CTR logo (Choose the Right) only in Spanish it's HLJ (Haz Lo Justo).

Can you read this one? It says Mormon.org.

Finally, one of the missionaries promised $5 to anyone who could carve a recognizable "First Vision" on a pumpkin. The First Vision is the experience Joseph Smith had as a 14 year old boy, where God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. They called him to be a prophet and eventually organize Christ's church on the earth. Well we took on the challenge - I did the drawing and Sister Oxley was the master carver. Here's the masterpiece!

This week, Conchis Mares got baptized! Doesn't she look happy?! Conchis is a great example of faith and closeness to the Spirit. She is such a sweetheart and I love her!

We made cupcakes for the baptism with our friend, Erika. And she made us pancakes!

We got to bring two adorable little missionaries to an appointment with us! This is Sister Jacqueline and Sister Jocelyn. They had so much fun coming out to our appointment! They even wanted to carry our bags, to be like real missionaries! :) Aren't they cute?!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

"Rojo, Amarillo, y Azul!"

This Sunday was the Primary Program, where all the children, age 4-12, put on the program for sacrament meeting. Those kids sang, recited scriptures, and shared their testimonies. They are so stinking cute! I had the best seat in the house: at the piano. Since I was up on the stand, I was surrounded by adorable children, eager to share the lines they'd memorized. Some were terrified of the microphone and some couldn't get enough of it. It hit me how these children, from such a young age, are learning to be active contributors in moving the kingdom of God forward. Every one of us, whether we're 4, 45, or 94, has something we can give to the Lord.

The Good News and Bad News

The enabling power of the atonement is real! In other words, Christ can give us the strength to conquer any struggle and to become better than we, on our own, could be. Do you want to know how I know this? Because there is an incredible woman named Maria, who started smoking when she was twelve. She has tried to quit many times over the last 30 years, and finally, in the last few weeks, she has been able to leave the habit behind forever. She and her lovely daughter, Michelle, were baptized this Saturday. We are so happy for them!

Now let's give credit where credit is due. Can we have a round of applause for Eric Jurado!

One day Eric opened his front door and wandered out into the street just as we were walking by. We knocked on the nearest door to try and find his mother and that's when we met Maria. The Lord works in mysterious ways; sometimes he sends an angel to carefully and gently lead a two year old out into the middle of the road.

So I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you get to hear another six weeks worth of stories from out here in Horizon. The bad news is that Sister Silva won't be here for them. :( That's right. Transfer calls came in and she'll be headed back to New Mexico. Despite having to go our separate ways, we move forward with faith, knowing that "great is the work which [we have] undertaken." I sure will miss her,  but I know that the Lord needs Sister Silva's "voice of a trump" in a different area. 

Have a wonderful week!

The Lovely Leti

Let me tell you about one of my favorite people! Her name is Leti. She is so friendly and has a heart of gold! She comes to church with her sisters and loves to be there. She is in her thirties or so but has a heatlh condition that gives her a very childlike mind. In her mind, she is maybe 3-5 years old. When Christ said that we should all become as little children, I think of Leti. She is humble, kind, and loving to everyone. She is so much like the Savior.

This last week, Sister Silva and I were practicing in the chapel for the musical number when Leti heard the music and poked her head in. When she saw Sister Silva singing, she grinned her huge, happy grin, yelled "Hermanas!", threw out her arms and ran up the aisle in the chapel for a big hug! It was the most wonderful moment! I can't help thinking that, when we meet on the other side and she's got a resurrected and perfected body, the reunion will be something like that.

The Road Less Traveled By

This is a wonderful week! You know why? Because we got to go to the temple yesterday! Here in El Paso, the nearest temple is just 20 minutes away in Juarez, Mexico. But the Church doesn't let missionaries cross the border for safety reasons, so we got to drive 4 hours up to Albuquerque. We left at 5:30 a.m. but it was well worth it! The temple is the House of the Lord, and there is a Spirit in the temple that you cannot feel anywhere else. When was the last time you visited the temple? You should go again this week!

I feel like, no matter how long I stay in Horizon, there are always new places to explore. I learned from my Grandpa to take scenic shortcuts whenever possible. This week, one of those scenic shortcuts was just too beautiful to pass up stopping for a couple pictures.

A few weeks back, Sister Adams and Sister Pipkin started singing scriptures to the tune of hymns in order to memorize them more easily. It is so much fun! Did you know that with a little fanangaling, you can sing Doctrine and Covenants Section 4 to the tune of "Called to Serve" in Spanish? 

Well this week I've been working on memorizing one of my favorite scriptures, Moroni 7:48. It says that as we strive and pray for charity, we will become more like the Savior:

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

Hope you all have a great week!

Spanglish Stake Conference

The rain has stopped but some puddles just stick around forever!

After all the rain from last week, big scary critters started popping up out of everywhere!

Yes that is a scorpion. And yes the other missionaries decided to keep it as a pet. 

This week was stake conference - woohoo! A stake is a group of congregations in the church, that all come together. You can imagine that the kingdom of God is like a giant tent, and all throughout the world there are these "stakes" that are a part of it, strengthening it. So our stake conference was pretty interesting because half of the people in the area speak English and half speak Spanish. The conference was primarily in English, and the Spanish members wore headsets. However, some talks were in Spanish with English translators, the prayers were in either language, and the hymns were sung in both languages at once. Only in El Paso!

Saturday was a very special day - Sister Silva's birthday!! 

We are so proud of our friend Maria. She has quit smoking! Here is a picture of her with her Declaration of Independence!

And yet another gorgeous Texas sky!

Have a lovely week!