HOLA MI FAMILIA!!!!
So this week has been a great one, full of laughs and growing a
lot closer with my companion. Can I just say that I absolutely adore her? She
is such a cute little thing and guess what... she’s finally learning to joke
around with me and not just say ¨Ok hermana¨! Haha, miracles really do exist!
But Hermana Castellanos is awesome and extremely patient with me in how I am
constantly on the go and love to just whizz around... but also when it’s time
to go buy some cookies or ice cream bar she’s totes down for that too.
:) She’s absolutely amazing and we work together really well. We have SO
MUCH FUN and we work SO HARD. It’s so great when every night you just hit the
pillow dead exhausted and you are so happy for everything.
Haha, the translation from last week’s ward message was ¨I miss
ice cream,¨ hahahaaha, but I guess I wonder it too. Also I will work on
the pictures... sorry for this lousy week with just a few. I’ll do better this
week.
Frankly I’m not quite sure what to say for this week... we had
one day that was pretty incredible and we could see that in one way or another
our Heavenly Father puts us on the right road that we need to be in. First
things first, we went to visit an investigator and things are going really
well. She told us that from the first moment we were with her she knew that it
was going to be something good and she is somewhat progressing, but with her we
are finding more and more obstacles in the road, like she’s not married but
lives with her boyfriend and their three kids. That’s just something I don’t
understand. If you have lived with someone for 14 years why in the WORLD don’t
you just get married, so you can get baptized and receive these blessings? HUH?
I just don’t get it, but that’s beside the point. We left her house and we were
going to go down a certain street but I just felt the weird need to go down
another street. We swerved and we were biking down and an investigator came
running out in to the road, flagging us down! Yelling “ANTE! ANTE!” (Anstee is
a little difficult for the people here;)) and we went over to her and she said
that she had been praying for me to come down by her house. She told us that
her daughter was super sick and that she wanted me to give a prayer to let her
get better. Woah. I guess you could say I felt pretty surprised, so we offered
a prayer with the Virgin Guadalupe watching us (haha) and it was swell and then
we headed out. We continued down the street to go visit with Rosa, the mom of
Gerardo Corona. She also told us that we came in her moment of weakness and
problems, because she was about to do something drastic with her neighbors,
because they have been fighting for about 6 months. That was pretty cool too.
:) We taught a lesson about love and supporting trials with faith and it was
great. And I only let a little bit of feisty Jess out to say that there is a
balance in all things... haha, that we do need to stick up for ourselves, but
always with love. I’m sure not going to suppress all of who I truly am, but I
am a missionary. :) haha, so after that my comp wanted a treat, so we went to
see our good friend that sells candy. (Yep, you know it. I know every person
that sells bread, candy, tacos, hamburgers and ice cream by name in every
corner and everyone tells me hello and is my friend, because well... maybe we
are their best customers. ;) Haha, just KIDDING!), but we went to see my friend
Reina and the second we came up to her little stand she just started crying.
Well... shoot. I thought that missionaries were good influences and I know that
many times when people see me they might cry... but this was just a little too
much, so we kept on going to see what we could do to help her out or to ask for
forgiveness or something. It turns out she too had been praying like crazy for
us to come for her. She told us about all her family problems and that tons of
things were happening and that she was so sad and just couldn’t go on and that
the only thing that would help her was if ¨her hermanas¨ came to visit and here
we were. So we talked it out and gave our words and whatnot and she said she
felt better. I asked at the end if she had our number to call us for whatever
thing she needs and she just told us that she doesn’t need our number. She just
calls on God and He sends us. That He’s our number. Wow. It was a testimony
builder for me.
This day was just one of those moments that it was amazing to
see that God truly puts us where we need to be, that when we live worthy of the
spirit he will help us help those in need. Yeah, maybe not a single one of
these women came to church on Sunday or will be baptized any time soon, for
that it’s a bit of a bummer, but I was thinking about that and it came to me
that it doesn’t matter. Sure, baptism brings more blessings than anyone can possibly
imagine, but we are here to serve. We are here to lift up the saddened hands
and strengthen the feeble knees - that is our duty as missionaries and human
beings in general. Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing much, like I’m a weak
servant and that I don’t have the words to say. At times I feel like we don’t
have the numbers that we should and that sometimes we aren’t having success,
but I had the amazing chance to take a step back and realize that none of that
matters. That with every lesson we teach, we are giving people hope. We are
giving people light. And that is why we are here. So we keep moving forward. We
keep teaching, even when we get doors slammed in our face or people who promise
to go to church and never show up. We keep going. And that, I am learning, is
life. We must keep moving forward. ¨Never stop exploring¨ like the North Face
tells us. There are always new paths to search and new children of God to find.
Like how I always have wanted to be an ¨explorer¨, no? Well I am learning that
I am, but in a bit of a different way. ;)
This work is truly of God. Every day I am in awe of the miracles
we see. When we truly have faith (however difficult it may be, such a small
word with such an incredible impact on human life) that everything comes
together. We see God in everything, in sunsets (that are incredible here), in
the smiles of children, in the eyes of investigators when they feel the spirit,
in everything. Sometimes we just need to look for it a little bit.
These are my good friend’s dogs. They came up and
curled up on my lap during a lesson and just fell asleep! And I taught one of
them how to read the scriptures. :) They are the dogs that don’t like anyone, and I mean anyone, except for me and their owner. It’s funny.
It’s so amazing to be here. I am truly so happy. I love thinking
about other people and not myself. I don’t know… life is somehow easier. I
thought the other day how one day I am going to have to think about school and
things for me, and it kind of freaked me out! I don’t want to lose this love
for other people and I don’t think I will, but I still need to learn a TON,
because I lack so much... but I’m trying. :)
I
truly love you all so much. Thank you for your love, support and all you do for
me. I GOT THE LETTERS BY THE WAY!!! Today I received the letter from the Marlon
Borup family! I have yet to open them :), but thank you all for your letters!
You have no idea how much it means to us missionaries to get something -
anything! Haha, so anyone who is reading this - go send something to a
missionary! It doesn’t have to be much, a letter will do. And I’m not saying to
send it to me, for heaven sakes, but to someone who truly needs a loving hand.
But mom, dad, Buddy, you are my world and the chance to know you and get the
email, pictures, and hear from you all is the best thing ever. Thanks for all you
do and that you support and love me and I am so grateful for everything you do.
I am always thinking of you guys. When we are riding our bikes, my mind often
turns to you guys and when I see the mountains I miss you a TON. I am running
in the mornings! I wake up early and put on my pants and run for half an hour
every morning with music blasting in the stereo! Haha, all the neighbors think
I am crazy, because I don’t have headphones, so I just run with my speakers in
my sweatshirt. It’s great, got to share the love, right?
You are the best people around. I love you more than life.
And I am SO EXCITED ABOUT THE HOUSE!!!! It truly looks sooooo
good. Oh man, it’s awesome! I can’t wait to finally enter it! :)
Love you all!
Love,
Your Hula Girl at Heart
(Still haven’t stopped dancing:))
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