El Salvador Temple dedication

This weekend we were able to participate in the dedication of the San Salvador, El Salvador Temple by satellite.

Fun fact - My mission trainer will get married there, probably before the end of this year. She leaves the mission in 1 week. Also, we saw the mission president`s sister-in-law in the crowd, which was cool.

It was a very beautiful ceremony. And it truly did feel like we were in an extension of the temple, which was very refreshing. Made me miss the states a lot though too--haha. It was all in Spanish, except the speakers that don’t speak Spanish (Like Elder Eyring) who needed translators. I am so glad I know English cuz there were a lot of things he said that didn’t translate over quite as much. I’m glad I can hear these things spoken exactly how they meant to have it expressed. Yayyy!

The dreams of so many people have now been realized. There is now a temple in El Salvador... there is a temple much closer to Nicaragua (less expense in tripping). And not only the dreams and prayers of the members there have been realized, but also of all missionaries that ever served there, including my mission president, President Arredondo, and my cousin, Kerri Rustad. The president cried.. together with his wife. It was a very touching moment. Apparently President was working on the temple projects in El Salvador and Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, before he was called to be a mission president. I was so happy for the people when I heard the dedicatory prayer specifically made for that country, at that time. I know that that prayer will be realized.

Central America is progressing....leaping forward. One day, missionaries will be leaving from Central and South America to the states and rest of the world just like how right now the western part of the states is doing. It’s cool to be a part of. You really get a sense of how you are only one inch of the grand journey. It’s so cool.

God lives. The temple is the literal house of God. Temples are a place to give gratitude, a place to receive the light of understanding being taught by the Spirit, and a place to feel more profoundly the love of God for each of us. I encourage all of you to go to this house of illumination this week. Don´t go with problems this time. Don`t go expecting anything in particular. Go with an open heart and just.. feel. Be prepared to listen and FEEL what is happening.

Miss you all.
See you in 134-ish days (I’m now charged with reading D&C backwards in accordance with how many days I have left in the mission, so that’s how I know how many days it is)
Love you all.

the FIRST Hermana Rippstein (from my immediate family)

Mini Blog break is over!

Okay, so I would like to share with you guys kind of a story of my mission. So you have more or less seen the baptisms that I was privileged to participate in here in Nicaragua so far, but this week a new reality has been found about my time here.

Check this out
- When I left my first area, the only investigator we had got baptized.
- When I left my 2nd area, the 2 families I left were baptized.
- When I left my 3rd area, 2 other families (and also another fam that showed up as relatives of one of them) were baptized.
- And then I went to my 4th area (my last area).

There.. .I worked like I have never worked in my mission.. and it was haaaaard there. Esteli is not known for baptizing a lot. And my comp and I worked to reorganize the branch and fix the leadership and to fix and take care of all the roots. If you don’t take care of the roots, the plant dies, no matter what. Anyways, so we worked with that and when I left, the place was then ready for baptisms. I worked with this one family in particular, opening them up a bit and teaching and the woman? She was great and I felt really good about them..

Then changes came and the president told me I had 4 days to show my new comp the area. I did and then I was brought to where I am now. And now, the miracle that I had been working for the whole change (and that missionaries had been working for beforehand as well) - a family baptized - has now occurred. My family that I left.. was baptized. In ESTELI. Saturday. As well as her father (I’d also been teaching him). Freaking miracle. I was so happy!

I would have been there but I can more or less figure out why they sent me here. It is hard, the situation right now, but, I’ve found that I really like changing the story of areas. I am happy for that family... like seriously... I feel like a useful servant even though I won’t baptize in August and we can’t find anyone to teach.

Also, when we were contacting in my District Leader´s area yesterday we found this woman that knows we were sent to her exactly in her time of need and will be baptized within the next 2 weeks (we don’t know exactly when because of the temple dedication in El Salvador).

Also, one of my converts that had gone inactive because of a lot of very hard challenges may possibly come with us to the church activity this weekend for the cultural celebration for the temple of El Salvador.

Miracles happen. The Spirit really does testify. Jesus Christ lives.