Week 40: No Time to Write

We are now allowed to have zone activities again! We played volleyball, water balloons, and ate tacos as a zone today.

Week 39: Halfway

Today is my half way mark. Ahhhhhh! I don’t know how I should feel? I’m torn between being excited and sad.

Yesterday I learned that my area had a name in the mission. I’m serving in La Huerta, and the missionaries knew it as “La Muerta” (the dead) because it was an area well known for never having baptisms. How sad is that? I never want to leave La Huerta! I think it’s the best ward ever.  

On Monday I got a call from our district leader and he told me I was invited to the Leadership Training Meeting. Scary stuff. So Tuesday and Wednesday I spent all day at the church learning how to be a better missionary. It was a great learning opportunity, and I have officially decided that I can’t be finished in nine months. I have WAY too much still to learn, to be at my half way mark. I have experienced so much happiness sharing the gospel!

We visited a less active member this week. We normally visit her on Fridays, but decided to visit her on Saturday instead. As we were teaching, she started crying. She told us that she was hoping that we would come this day, because she has been having trials and really needed to hear this message. As we pray, God will always guide our paths. It made me think of a quote from Henry B. Eyring, “You hold in your hands the happiness of more people than you can imagine.” We have the fullness of the gospel and we know the path to eternal life. We know the happiness that others are missing, but if we don’t share it how will they know? If we don’t share, we are holding back the happiness from those we love.

And now a quote I like. “However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made, or talents you think you don't have, or distance from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.” -Jeffrey R. Holland

Week 38: Baptism

Our investigator was baptized this week and we had a nice baptism for her. After 78 years of being Catholic she changed religions! The difference in her family is amazing. Before her husband was atheist and now he has put quotes about God up in their house. They are a lot happier.  

We have another great investigator right now. We actually have a lot of investigators, and I love them all. But this particular investigator has a broken arm and therefore has not been going to work. This has given her the chance to focus more of her attention on the gospel: reading the scriptures, listening to our lessons, and going to church. She finally accepted a baptism date and is super excited! She wants her whole family to go to church with her. On Sunday she brought her little grandson with her to church. He hated the first hour and afterwards wanted to go home. We tried to encourage him to go to class but he just sat in the hallway and moped. Then the primary teacher walked by and said to him, ¨lets go!¨ He jumped up, grabbed her hand and left with her. He didn’t even look back! lol Afterwards he loved church and wants everyone to go. It’s amazing to see how God works through the families. 

Week 37: Assorted Events

Hello, Hello, Hello! Hi, Hi, Hi! Hello, Hello, Hello! Hiiiiii! (Sing it!)

This week I have been studying Mormon in The Book of Mormon. While I was reading I came across chapter 6 and the whole thing is colored in pink highlighter. It has a caption that says ¨sad chapter¨. Who knows how long ago I did that? lol It made me smile. It really is a sad chapter, but I still really like chapters 5-7. 

We talked with our investigator and she still wants to be baptized. She is having some problems with her family.

I bought a Mexican shirt. It’s one of those with all the flowers and such. I was pretty excited!

What else? We finally had money to buy stuff to make our house smell pretty and clean!

When we go grocery shopping we have to hike back to the house. it really tires us out. Lol