Goodbye Pictures

Since I'm out of Novato and the San Rafael 3rd Branch, I had to get some goodbye pictures with the bomb members. (:

 

-Oh...Well that's Hermana Andrews and I haha. We're cool, we know.

-Erikaaa. She is incredible! She's the Sociedad de Socorro president, and wow...What a heart. She served a mission, and so she knows how the work is. But WOW...She's amazing.

-Me, Consuelo, Aremí, and Hna. Andrews. Consuelito is so darling. And Aremí is the bomb! Haha. She has got fire and passion like no other.

-Emilieee. She just got back from her mission in SoCal, but she wants to keep her Spanish. So she's in our branch, and she is still such a great missionary. Always wanting to help us out and everything. (: So great.

-Ziomy! Recent convert, and SO strong. Also such a great missionary. (: And her conversion story? Whoa. It'll bring ANYONE to tears. Especially me. (:

-The Correa family! So awesome, they're Peruvian. (: They make great flan baha.

 

Anywho! More pictures coming soon! Love y'alls! Amores!

 

-Hna. Lybbert

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Transfer Calls!

First transfers everrr, and where am I headed?!

 

Rohnert Park, California!

 

No joke, that was probably the LAST thing I ever expected. I just kind of assumed I'd sty put here in Novato until I got my visa, and then I'd get shipped off to Argentina. It just seemed easier that way, because let's be honest. Everyone--literally EVERYONE--figured I'd just be around for a couple weeks. Buuut...Yeah, it's been a little difficult apparently. I definitely have a LOT to learn in this upcoming transfer (I leave tomorrow! Que loco.), though. I'll be the first to admit that I am going to be sufficiently humbled. My senior companion is Hermana Wallace, and she came out WITH me. So she's got 12 in the mission, and I've got a whoppin' 13. We'll be follow-up training each other, and it is gonna be...Crazy haha. It's just been intersting this last week. I've realized that my Heavenly Father blesses me with just about EVERYTHING I ask for--Argentina, California, etc.--BUT...I think He also knows that I must learn patience very thoroughly. Because I always have to wait for these things. Had to wait to receive my reassignment, and I'm continuing to wait for Argentina. Things are always in His timing. We m ake our will to be His will by accepting His timing; erasing our timetable and allowing Him to make our's for us...

 

Fact: I've oddly gotten a strange attachment to...wait for it...FLOWERS. Yeah, I know, crazy, right? I'll find one that I like and just stick it in my hair, since I always wear my hair up haha. But yeah. It's fun, though. (:

 

I've been thinking a LOT about something lately, and I'm thinking it's going to be a mission-long/life-long thing to accomplish. Missionary and Real Person Balance...Think about it. Almost everyone hates it when some solicitor walks up to them or knocks on their door and tries to talk with them or offer service to them. Yet if just a neighbor or someone else walked up to you to help you carry your groceries in, your bond would click almost immediately. You have a deep gratitude and love for them...I'm trying to find that balance. I can't solely by Shelan Lybbert, because I'm such an imperfect human being; but I can't solely just be Hermana, because hardly anyone will want to listen and connect with me. I've got to learn how to be Hermana Lybbert. Show my little imperfections, let my investigators know I'm a real person, yet I'm also there to help and serve and teach them.

 

Example: Ilse. One of our investigators. She was struggling SO much with believing Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he saw God and Jesus Christ. We had talked about it a couple times, and by the time we left...Our spirits were down. We admitted to having little doubts. BUT...We went in search for our answers, and we FOUND them. We found these answers, and then we PRAYED. After we prayed, we felt that reassurance of love and truth. That Joseph Smith, though a young boy, saw God, the Father, and Jesus Christ. That God restored the same church and priesthood authority from times of old to our day now--through Joseph Smith...Once we explained our own fears and doubts to Ilse, she suddenly came alive. "Mande?! Tienen dudas sobre esto? Pero recibieron respuestas? Otra vez?"...We all bore testimony, and it was so powerful. Our MOST powerful testimony is nothing rote and nothing prideful. It is when we are REAL. Honest. Ourselves. Truth. Showing our true insides, showing that we are people. Ordinary people, out to share this Gospel.

 

OKAY! Now for some more pictures. :D

-This is a great bunch of missionaries, the San Rafael South Zone! Boom. Last district meetings. Triste.

-This is Ilse!! RIGHT after the bomb lesson I just explained. She is absolutely incredible, and her two boys are DARLINNNG. The little one? Samuel. Sammy. Samuelito. Kills me every time I say his name, because he is SO much like MY Sammer Bammer back home. (: Loves to Trista and her fam!

-Missionary car wash! Seriously, we did probably 20-25 church tours while the elders washed their cars for free. Loads of new investigators and potentials!

-Letting those on the streets about the car wash. (;

-Hermana Zurita! Honk if ya love Jesus. (;

-After the zone car wash. (:

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Golden Gate Adventuresss!

Whoot whoot!! Yes, I had Hermana Zurita cut my hair. (: It was wicked long, and it was driving me crazy. Sooo yup! Chopped it. (;

 

Favorite picture from the Golden Gate Bridge Adventuresss.

 

Thisss is the branch president of our branch baha. He's super young, but he is SO fun and loves the work. (:

 

Spanish missionaries! Siiick. (;

 

Golden Gate!...With crazy wind.

 

Yesss. Again, Presidente Majía haha.

 

Balance beammm.

 

Compañeras annnd a couple elders helping poor Elder Fonseca up on the pole. :P

 

Más misionerosss!

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Feliz Día del Padre (:

Es la semana de los padres! (: So, of course, a great big shoutout to my glorious Papa! Y'know what I feel like I've learned the most from my dad?...I think of this often, because it is SO relevant in my life. The ability to work hard. Work ethic. Perseverance. First off, Scott Lybbert is such an incredible example of hard work and giving your all. It's impossible to NOT see this quality in him. Second, we weren't allowed to do things while only putting half our effort into the project. We were all in or all out. I grew up with this outlook, and it made it easy to do sports. I know how to work, and I owe it all to my father. I'll give my "loving side" from my Momma :D

Okay!! So updates for this week? Uhhh not many haha. However, we came upon our first "basher" of sorts. Longest 30 minutes of my life haha. Annnd don't judge us, but Safeway has some great candy bar sales. Buy two, get two free!...I won't admit how many candy bars we walked out of Safeway with that day (**cough cough**) TWELVE.

On the plus side, I've officially found a donut shop that has better donuts than good ol' Akins. Unfortunately, it is like...a 5-minute walk away from our apartment :D

Sooo I've got some LAME news. Y'know Alex? Didn't get baptized--YET! But soon, no worries. His mom is just a bit worried. Well, not worried. Just being cautious. He just has to show that he is committed to this. So we'll see!

Any who, off to go to the Golden Gate Bridge! Loves y'all!!

- Hermana Lybbert

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Más Fotos

-Me and the templeee. :D Gorgeous DAY, gorgeous TEMPLE, and I was stoked!...Annnd a random elder in the back. (:

-**Sigh** Yup. Good stuff, needless to say.

-When we were first driving into the parking lot. Kind of a cloudy day, but it turned around. (;

-Sooo it's been getting pretty warm around here, and our apartment just seems to COLLECT heat. Unfortunately, I have a top bunk...Where all the heat just sits...SUCK. So what did I do? Crashin' on the floor, day in and day out. (: It's surprisingly comfy, no worries. I love sleeping on the couch haha.

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Rants and Facts y Fotos

FACT: I can no longer pray in English. I felt like a foooool the other day, because we were finishing up an English lesson (pretty rare), and I was asked to give the closing prayer...Whoa. SO hard. So when Tuesday came around, and I was asked to give the closing prayer at zone meeting, I immediately opted for Spanish haha. Which is fine, because President Alba (our mission president), speaks Spanish. (: The language is coming, and I LOVE it.

Change of Subject: JUNE 23RD! President Thomas S. Monson and his presidency is changing the way we doing missionary work. But the catch is...We have NO idea what's going down. So! June 23rd, be prepared to hear some great news, called "The Work of Salvation", broadcasted from Salt Lake City. http://www.lds.org/church/events/the-work-of-salvation-missionary-broadcast?lang=eng

Rant of the Week: "I can't, it's just my personality and who I am." Whoa. FALSE. This line and this excuse has ticked me off for so many years. It is something I never realized even I have said a time or two, but I'm working on it. Can I share a thought or two? I shall...We ARE able to change. We ARE able to improve. We CAN be better. You think your natural personality is to simply blow up over little things? False. Make a goal, plan out how you'll fulfill that goal, and CHANGE. We are not here on this earth to sit, eat, sleep, and die. We are to PROGRESS. Get better. Improve. So do it. You think your set personality is shy and quiet? Also, false. Don't like it? Do something about it. Get out and, when you meet someone new, come off as an outgoing and open person. I can guarantee that, little by little, you will no longer be naturally quiet and shy. Will it still continue to be a battle and a struggle? Oh heck yeah. But if you really dislike it, stop moaning and groaning. Chin up and get to it.

Ranting: TERMINATED (:

Done haha. Okay, before I share a few more pictures, I wanna tell a couple more fun stories haha. First one was last night, about 8:45 PM. We were pulling off to the side of the road to park and go see a less active member who is having her baby soon. But oddly, we pulled off right next to this guy named Nick. He, for some reason, thought we were pulling off to talk to him haha. Well we get out, and he's sorta standing outside my door waiting for us. A little odd, but oh well! More missionary opportunities. (; He appeared to be about 20 or so, going to school, rocking his sunglasses at night. Anywho, I get to talking to him first and decide...Well, what the heck, I've already contacted the guy, so I might as well share the gospel! Haha we talked with him a good 15 minutes or so, and we asked if we could just say a prayer with him. Right there, on the sidewalk, 9 o'clock at night. He said in his African American slight drawl, "Awh heck yeah, please! I'm always in need of some blessin's." (Yup, that's right. Such a cool kid haha.) We asked if there was anything in specific he wanted us to ask for...He stood there for a little bit and thought about it pretty deeply. "...I'd like to feel more...real, true love...Like...from the universe. And...the ability to...meet a friend..." This guy made me want to cry...He seemed decently well off and like a fun guy, but when he said that, I kind of died a little. We said a prayer with him, gave him our number and a pamphlet...

No idea what happened with him, honestly, but oh well! We did what we could, and I'm glad I got to meet him. (: So for now, fun story #2:

Simply: We contacted the ice cream man. MISSIONARIES FOR THE WIN! Haha but no. He was stopped already, waiting for a gal to go get her money, and he called us over. His English wasn't too great, and he must've been from India or somewhere around there. He asked us about the Art & Wine Parade, which we had NO clue about until he asked us haha. And thennn we just shared the gospel a tad with him. (: It was fun, and now that I put it into words, it's just funNY. "We contacted the ice cream man." Yup. One point for Las Hermanas en Novato, CA. (;

Alrighty, last thing that will lead into los fotos--OAKLAND!! Wow did I miss that place! I was giddy all the way there, and I was so content all the way home. (: Going back to the temple just brought back all sorts of fun memories from last summer. Such great people I met, incredible experiences, and lifelong friends. (: **Sigh** Love it. Dear Parents: Why was I not born in California? Seriously, I'm pretty sure I was meant to be a California kid. Just sayin'.

PICTURES:

-Oakland, CA (: Yeahhh I was a tad reminiscent. No me juzges (;

-We had a little fun with the Zone Leaders' car. (: They used their agency to park stupidly, and we used ours' to box them in. (: Win.

-On our way to the templeee! Hermana Zurita and I.

-Outside the temple: Me, (Trainer) Hermana Andrews, and Hermana Zurita

-Los élderes. (: They're a little goofy a veces, pero ellos son muy chistosos haha.

More pictures (and possibly a video!) coming in a few. (;

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Milagros en Novato, California!

Oh my goodness...So this week has been pretty typical, methinks, but I'll do my best to update y'all. :D

First off: No, I do not know anything about my visa haha. Several have asked, but I know nada. (: But it's alright! I'm good here for now. I'm stoked to eventually get there, but for now...I'm content with the information Elder Fonseca has for me. (: He's from Argentina but has lived in Cali for several years. Buuut he keeps telling me that once I get the Argentine "sh" down and a larger vocabulary, I'll blend in no problem. (; Bahaha. So stoked!

Second: Temple TRIP!!! This Thursday, and I am SO stoked. Our temple is the Oakland temple, so I am absolutely thrilled to be able to return. (: Ahhh, so many incredible memories. Exactly a year ago. (:

Third: Just as a memoir...Earlier this last week, I woke up completely unfocused, and I couldn't figure out why. I had had a dream (no, I'm not completely insane. (; ), and I couldn't take my mind off it. We were in the middle of companionship study, practicing the Plan of Salvation, and it hit me like a crashing wave...Ben Horning. He was part of my dream. I frantically began a search for my planner and asked what the day was...It was that day, a year before. Wow...I still really miss him. Thank you, Keesha, for calling me up. I'm so lucky I happened to be in Washington in the middle of it all, close to family and friends. Thank you Aaron and Keesha. I needed you both, and I love that we were able to lean on each other. We're all pretty far and hardly get to talk...But regardless, you're both my best friends.

Fourth: Milagrosss! So, we have a couple of investigators set with baptismal dates, and both are miracles. (: First, I think I've mentioned before--Ilse (pronounced: eel-say). She is the mother of two glorious munchkins, Manuel and Samuel(ito) (: So cute. She has been an investigator for quite some time, her and her husband at least. But Sergio got a 2nd job a little while back and had to stop taking the discussions, so we haven't been able to teach him. Ilse really wants to wait and be baptized with her whole family, and I certainly don't blame her. The church is family-focused, as she is. She loves it so much, and she wants it, but she really wants it for her WHOLE family. So that's what we're working on. (: Second, is Alex...This kid...

Truly, he is...increíble. He's 15, and he was a referral from the English-speaking elders. So we went back and knocked on his door on the 24th of May, Friday. Asked when we could come back to teach him. His response, "Oh! Well how about tomorrow??" Us:"DEAL."

We went back the next day and taught him the Restoration--all about Jesus Christ, the priesthood, Joseph Smith, etc...I love it, because the entire time he's got this little smile on his face, nodding his head, and making comments like, "Whoa...No way...Really? Sweet!" Haha the BEST. Well, after or during lessons, we'll pause, ask questions, and see if they have any questions. They always shrug, shake their head, and say, "No."...So we finish up and ask him is he has questions..."Uh yeah actually..." He is SO full of curiosity, and he genuinely wants to know and understand. He had questions everywhere from who was God to us, why Christ needed to die for us, if we'll see God again...May I remind you, he is FIFTEEN. Wow. He blows me away! We finished up the lesson, taught him how to pray (he is AMAZING! So honest and open; loves the fact that he can truly TALK with his Father in Heaven), and we asked him that if he came to know that these things were true...If he would be baptized. His response: "Yeah, definitely. I'll do it."

Gah! :D We asked when we could come back, and he said that we can come Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays haha. So that's what we're doing! We've been teaching him for a week, and he has received permission from his parents to be baptized on the 16th of June. (: He is so excited, and he loves everything--especially the Plan of Salvation. (: We gave him a calendar of what and when we hope to teach him, and he looked at it, and said, "Hey! Check it out, that's the day of my baptism! Whoa, two weeks from yesterdayyy...SICK!" Hahaha. Oh man...Me and my compañeras walk out of his lessons close to tears. He is SO strong; I have never seen someone grasp and crave this truth and gospel so much. It's inspiring. (: And lucky for me, we're teaching him tonight! We get to tell him about prophets, our prophet today: Thomas S. Monson, and the priesthood! Annnd I'm super stoked to see his reaction to the fact that HE can receive the priesthood. (: He's gonna be bouncing off his seat. :D

OKAY! Whew...Quite the update, sorry. (: That's all for now folks! But here's a few more pictures!! (:

1) Los élderes (: They aren't in our district, but they serve with us in our Spanish branch in San Rafael, CA. We see them basically daily, and they're the best haha. From left to right: Elder Martin, Elder Whitacer, Elder Perez, and Elder Fonseca

2) Uhhh pretty sure this is the FAIL picture. That would be Elder Perez's thumb, as we were all trying to take a picture...Whoops.

3) This is on a country road we found ourselves on!! Sooo gorgeous, and we're planning on going back on a different Preparation Day. (:

4) Annnd again. (: Stunning!

5) Mis compañeras y yo! Me, Hermana Andrews, and Hermana Zurita. We found ourselves on that country road, and we had to get out to get some pictures...Becauuuse it was gorgeous!

6) Seriously, deer. Everywhere haha. We were just walking down the sidewalk, and the guy was just chillin' and munchin'. (:

7) Annnd last but not least, one of my compañeras! Hermana Zurita with the giant flower I picked for her. :D

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