Love bugs or spawn of Satan?

This weeks philosophical debate is brought to you by a science 
experiment gone oh so very wrong... Some brilliant students at FSU (I 
think) thought they could create a bug that would kill Mosquitos, in 
an attempt to control the mosquito population out here. However the 
bug they created does not kill Mosquitos at all. Instead they just 
reproduce faster than any other species known to man and get all over 
EVERYTHING! I have had like 10 fly strait into my eye! Also their 
stomach acid eats the paint of cars... This is what happens when 
people try to play God... Didn't we all learn that lesson from 
Frankenstein? Rant over... I just really dislike these things and one 
just attacked my face so that is what sparked this rant! 
 
Man, this week was kind of hard for me. A lot of people we are 
teaching are facing a lot of really hard things and they are turning 
to me and my companion for answers! We teach a really sweet Italian 
lady named Rita. She is searching for answers. I love teaching this 
woman, but this week we came over and she did not look like herself. 
She was down, but let us in anyways. After talking for a bit she told 
us her cousin committed suicide a couple days before. My heart sunk. 
Her Son committed suicide a few years ago and I knew this would take 
her back to that. I felt tears fill my eyes and I had no idea what to 
say to this sweet woman. She simply told us she didn't believe in 
anything anymore. She didn't believe that if there was a God that 
would have happened, and if there is a God and that's how he treats 
His children then she didn't want any part of it. I prayed so hard as 
I tried to think of something to say, but nothing was coming to me. 
She kept asking why this happened and everything I have a personal 
testimony of, she simply didn't want to hear. We sat silent for about 
15 minutes as she expressed how abandoned she felt. My comp and I just 
listened. Finally, I had the faint prompting to say a prayer with 
Rita. Without thinking I slipped out of my chair onto my knees and 
asked her if we could say a prayer. She didn't object, but she didn't 
really agree either. I started to pray, while still clinging to her 
hand, I cried through the whole prayer. I wanted so desperately for 
this sweet lady to know how much her father in heaven loves her and 
how real He truly is. She was wiping tears away herself by the end of 
the prayer. We have another lesson with her tomorrow! 
 
Once we got back to the car sister Skeem and I didn't speak at all. I 
was so lost in thinking about how hopeless Rita was feeling and how 
she was looking to us to give her that hope. On top of that someone we 
taught the night before has a son that is in a coma and has been for 
over a year. She was looking to us for advice on if she should have 
the feeding tube removed since his chances of waking up are so slim. I 
just felt overwhelmed. These people need answers that I simply just do 
not have. 
 
I said a prayer to myself and then something I studied that morning 
came to mind. I had been studying in Preach My Gospel under Christlike 
attributes and that morning I studied hope. "Hope is an abiding trust 
that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you." This line stuck out 
to me, especially the words, "abiding trust". Then a verse from that 
mornings studies popped in my head. Helamen 5:12, 
 
     "And now, my sons (and daughters) remember, remember that it is 
upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye 
must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his 
mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail 
and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over 
you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of 
the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a 
foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." 
 
Abiding trust means to have a lasting trust. That we don't give up 
hope that God will fulfill his promises. There are some pretty amazing 
promises found in the scriptures, specifically this scripture. If 
Christ is the center of life, then we can not fall. 
 
It is okay that I don't have the answers to some really hard questions 
because I do have the answer to some of the most important questions. 
I know who to look to for guidance and I know how we can be happy and 
successful in this life. I am continuing to understand just how much 
our father in heaven and our savior love us each week and how oh so 
aware they are of us. 
 
I love you all so much! I know Heavenly Father knows each of us 
personally and is so desperately trying to lead each and every one of 
us back to Him. I am more sure of that than I am that the sun will set 
tonight!  The miracles I have seen here couldn't happen if there 
wasn't a God looking after these people. :) 
 
-Much love, Sister Upshaw 
 
P.s. The reason there are like a million and ten pictures of me 
at/near the beach is because this is Florida and that is where all the 
people are Haha we go down there to talk to people like every day! 
Thus... We have lots of pictures by water. I had to clarify that for 
my Guatemalan BFF Jill. ;P 
 
P.s.s HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHELLE! And you too KENZ KENZ!

                  Mustache Slurpee from 7-11

Sharing a shirt

She was told these shoes were made in Guatemala, so  she had to get them in honor of Kelsey

Planting a garden