Another week gone by..

Wow another week has come and gone! It blows my mind how fast time seems to fly by seems like I was just on here writing you all! I feel like the Lord is truly speeding up time! I mean He did say that He would!! 

This week has been a blur, Itzel was not able to be baptized. We were sad, but we know that they Lord's timing is perfect, She is an amazing daughter of God who wants to do what is right, and I know that day will come that she is ready to make the scared covenant of being baptized :) 

The longer that I am out on my mission the more and more I come to realize that this is the Lord's work. I am merely an instrument in His hands. And because this is His work He is going to help me along every single step of the way! There have been times on my mission that I have physically felt my burdens lifted and made light. He gives me strength far beyond my capabilities. The chance that I have to serve a mission is a once in a life time opportunity and I am so grateful everyday for the decision that I made to serve.
I read a talk today called "The Miracle of a Mission" by Jeffery R Holland, It truly touched my heart. I wanted to share part of it with you, Holland said, 

"Remember above all, that this is a spiritual work. It's the most important thing you can remember all your life. You cannot have a mission and you will not succeed on this mission and you won't be happy and you won't lose your homesickness and you won't get the language and you won't be acclimatized to the culture until you give over to God and say, "This is Thy work and I'm only the instrument. I'm on the pencil, but you've got to do the writing."... You can't do it your own way. Don't even try. That's part of the worry- you don't have to do it, you can't do it, you shouldn't do it. Stop worrying that you have to do this. THis is God's work! He will watch you! He will answer your prayers! He has legions of angels and teams of chariots to run to your aid this very hour. He will bless you! This is His work, but you have to do it His way. That is the contract."
And I know that is true with all of my heart. We cannot do anything without the strength of the Lord. I am so glad that I have the mightiest being on my side :) I know that we cannot fail when we put all of our trust in the Lord.
I just wanted to end with this quote by Elder Bednar

 "There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, “No one knows what it is like. No one understands.” But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice (see Alma 34:14), He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do relying only upon our own power. Indeed, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.”
The Lord is my anchor, I am so grateful for His guidance everyday in my life. He is my rock. My Redeemer my all. I love everything about the atonement for it truly is everything! Without the atonement we are nothing and we have nothing!!! Rely on the Savior in all things, He will truly lift you! Of this is Testify.  Love you all. Thank you for your examples to me. 
-Hermana Shea McCartt

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful week! Things have been great here in Cali :) I love it here. It's strong. Sometimes I honestly forget that I had a life outside of this one. I love being a missionary so much. I love the transformation that the gospel makes. Yesterday, during sacrament something hit me that I had never thought about. I will try to explain it in the best way that I can, I hope that it makes sense to you. We celebrate the atonement of Jesus Christ. The fact that He lived and He died for us. The fact that HE LIVES. That is the amazing message of the Resurrection, He lives and because He lives, we will all live again. And then I connected that to the sacrament. Every week we go and we partake of the sacrament. The water represents His blood. The blood that He shed for you and I. For our sins, for our pains, for our heart aches, for our weaknesses! He suffered all of that for us so that He could take it away. Then we have the bread, which represents His body. He died just like all of us are going to do, but unlike all those who die here on earth, He rose from the dead! And by doing so, broke the bands of death. Because He lives we all will live :) We take the sacrament for several reasons, to be washed of our sins being one of them so we can be worthy of the Holy Ghost, another reason we take it is to show Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that we will always remember Him. Showing Him that we love Him and want to follow Him, that we know He lives and that we love Him. So in a way we celebrate Easter every single week! It's not just a once a year thing, we have the chance to partake of the sacrament every week, therefore we are celebrating Easter every week!! Ahhh the church is so true!! :) 

I hope there is someone out there who needs to hear this. I just wanted to share my thoughts specifically on Christ's sufferings. Because Jesus Christ suffered for literally every little thing bad we have felt He can take it away. There have been times in my life where I have felt that no one could understand what I was going through, the pain that I felt was so deep. But by turning to my Heavenly Father I have felt my burdens be made light. Of course I have suffered but they pains have always been completely taken away by my Savior. He is always there to lift us when we need Him. We are never alone. There is never a load too heavy that He cannot carry for us. He will set you free :) I know with all my heart that this is true because I have witnessed it first hand. 

Itzel is finally getting baptized!!! She is so excited and so are we :) I will definitely be sending pictures home soon!!! 

I love all of you dearly!! Can't wait to see my amazing families faces in less than a month via skype!! I love you :)))))

<3 Hermana Shea McCartt

Us and Itzel :)

Greetings from California

Hello my friends and family!

This week has been a roller coaster ride. Long story shot Itzel didn't get baptized. It wasn't supposed to be that day, so she has a new date for the 27th of April, since Easter is this Sunday. She is so prepared and ready to enter the waters of baptism, it will happen soon enough :) 

So good news! Hermana Martinez and I have at least six more weeks together!! We are so excited and know that God is going to continue to pour out His blessings upon the people in Redlands as we continue to work diligently and are exactly obedient. There was a change in our Bishopric, we received a new Bishop and he is on fire! He is so ready to do missionary work! All of us in the Rancho ward are excited to work under his stewardship. 

We had another great experience with Anita this past week. She told us that she would often look out her window as we would park the car and she could see a difference in us than in any other person, she said we walked with a glow. I loved that. Shortly after we knocked on her door. It's like she was just waiting for us to knock on her door. She is so prepared. 

With the Easter Holiday being next week the church has urged us as missionaries and members of the church to share a message with our friends and family about missionary work. The celebration of Easter isn't in the Easter bunny, the candy or the eggs. It's the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ! Because He lived and died, all of us will also!! How great is our God!

Watch this video and share it on facebook!  mormon.org

 21 And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.

 22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.

I know that He lives and He loves us. We shall all live again. I love you all! 

Sorry this email is so short and all over the place we have zone sports today so I have to run! Chair soccer! :) Love you!

Your happy missionary,

Hermana McCartt

Itzel is getting baptized!!!

This past week was great! Itzel, accepted a baptismal date about a month ago for the 13th of April, and guess what!? It's happening!! She is 16, and wonderful! She has accepted the gospel and it's teachings like no one else that I have seen. She truly has the desire to change and to come unto Christ. I am so excited for her and the incredible and life changing decision that she is making. 

I can't help but think on my wonderful mom when i look at her. Mama you were only 17 when you made the decision to be baptized. And because of that choice you will affect generations. I am so grateful for the virtuous and truth seeking young woman that you were, and for the virtuous woman and mother that you still are. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for you!! Thank you for your example to me. I cannot wait to see Itzel in 30 years and see her raising her family in the gospel. She her sending off her sons and daughters on missions and being eternally grateful for the decision that she made at such a young age. THE GOSPEL IS SO TRUE!! 

Speaking of gospel!! Oh how I love general conference. I am so amazed by how much our Heavenly Father loves us.  He has given us a way to be lead and guided throughout this crazy world! He speaks to his servants and then they speak to us!! I absolutely loved Elder Ballard's talk about following up and being persistent :) Any Return missionary and missionary I'm sure understands and finds that amusing. I loved that he promised us that if we invited someone to meet with the missionaries 4 times in the next year, that the church would increase by hundreds and thousands :) That is a promise from the Lord!! 

A truly touching experience happened this past week with one of our investigators. Her name is Anita, she is the aunt of Diana (the door that I felt prompted to know on). Anyway we were teaching them the plan of salvation and she was just eating it up! She loved it. At the end I asked her if she would pray, she said she didn't know how and that she would say the wrong thing. We assured that she wouldn't, that it was impossible because the is just talking to our Heavenly Father and that He just wants to hear things from our hearts. We reminded her how to pray and then she offered one of the most simple but heart felt prayers I have ever heard. As she looked up at me I could feel that love that our Heavenly Father has for her so powerfully. She started to cry and said that she felt that a huge weight and burden had been lifted off of her. She was so grateful that could speak and knew that someone was listening. A few days later we came by again and taught them. Anita said that her mother said we are from the devil. We then asked her how she felt when we came over. She said, peace, love and that she could do no wrong. She said that she feels that these things are true. I then felt inspired to tell her how much her Heavenly Father loves her, and that is why we were there. That is why we knocked on her door, because Heavenly Father knew that she needed her to know the truth because she is ready for it and because He loves her. Tears streamed down her face as I told her those words. I felt the spirit work through me and I knew that they came directly from our Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father is aware of us in all of our situations, in ever circumstance that we have and will encounter in this life. His love never changes, it is constant and immovable. I know that God sent us to that house because He love Anita and Diana and needed us to tell them that. I am so grateful that God lets me feel, even just a portion of that love that He has for each of His children. Of that love that He has for you. I promise you that if you want to know that our Heavenly Father is there, all you have to do is get down on your knees and ask Him. Pour out our heart to Him. He is always listening and will show you His love for you, either by the thoughts in your mind of the feelings in your heart. He will never leave us. Of these things I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love you my incredible family and friends. I pray for you everyday. I am so grateful for your letters and emails of encouragement, you have no idea the impact they have on me and the strength that they give me. Until next week! 

Nos vemos,

Hermana Shea McCartt

The sisters that I live with!

Found the Liahona. Now I'll never get lost!