May 26, 2014

We're still waiting for that flood of investigators, but we did manage to find 3 new people this past week.  It was still a good week, though.  One of the women we found had the last name Ramon.  Not quite Ramos, but very close.  We did an awesome blessing contact with her.  She felt the spirit and got a little watery in the eyes.  She's got a big family that we're hoping to reel in as well. 

This week was also humbling.  We talked to this guy named Armando outside of his house.  It was interesting because he was given to us as a referral from another set of english sisters, but they never actually talked to him, they just heard him speaking spanish outside.  So we knocked and it turns out he had talked to missionaries before... as we talked with him, it turns out he has a lot of questions about why Adam and Eve had to partake of the fruit and if God is all powerful, why didn't he just make everything better and save us all...also, he went on a while about how the Bible has so many errors, he doesn't even believe Christ was crucified on the cross.  We were able to testify and I brought up the Book of Mormon and how it was brought to pass for the purpose to support and add truths to the Bible the were lost... also about how an organization of prophets and apostles always ensures the doctrine remains unchanged and the one true church has always had a solid foundation because of it.  The humbling part, though, came from the fact that I wanted so badly to answer all of his questions, especially about the fall of Adam and in general the purpose of life, but I just couldn't...I feel it super passionately inside myself, but I don't have the words to express it all - especially in Spanish. Haha.  But I was able to tell him that while we couldn't answer all of his questions in that moment, this gospel has those answers and they're found in the Book of Mormon and words of modern day prophets.  By the end of the conversation, I think his heart was touched.  He lives in a different area, though, so elders will have to go visit him.  It was a cool experience that made me aware of how much I truly love this gospel. And how we don't have to be a brilliant speaker like Elder Holland.  Our testimonies are the most powerful tools we possess.

This week started a little crazy.  On Tuesday we got a call from a less active hermano in our branch.  He was calling from jail...he got arrested and wanted us to go by and let his wife know that everything would be okay.  His wife is a sweet woman, doesn't deserve such a messed up situation.  They have 2 sweet little boys together.  SUPER sweet.  Blessings for her being a good woman, me thinks... anyway, she kind of saw it coming, but it was still hard for her to hear.  She was grateful, though.  We are going to have FHE tonight with her and her boys.  She seems to be doing good.  She came to church with her boys yesterday, which was huge because she hasn't come to church in a while, especially by herself.  It's kind of embarrassing for her, I think.  But she came and seems happy.  We've been leaving little hearts with messages and comforting scriptures on her door. 

Tomorrow at 7pm is Tomas' first temple session.  I'll write about that and take pictures. 

Can you believe it's almost June???  My mission is almost over, yet it feels like it just began.  I love you!      

May 19, 2014

Sweet!  I cashed my government check. (tax return)  Walmart is stupid and were just like, "it's not letting me cash it for some reason, I don't know why.  Sorry!"  So then I went to a grocery store called Smiths and did it there.  The guy there wasn't a member, but has a lot of friends on missions and he didn't even charge me the 3 dollars.  Super nice, right? 

I love my new companion.  Sister Hutchinson and I have a very similar sense of humor, lots of fun.  She's very self conscious about her Spanish, though, which I can relate to... but I hope I can help her because I've been there done that kind of thing. Ha.  So far it's been fun, though.  I hope we get 2 transfers together and she kills me. 

New Spiderman movie wasn't good?  Bummer... who was the villain?  Does Gwen die in it..?  I just wonder because she dies in the comic books.   

I know you'll give a great talk on Sunday!  You always do. 

Well, we're still working on finding that family Ramos!  Ha.  I have faith that something good's happening soon.  This past week we set up a lot of return apts for this current week, so we'll see where that goes.  We met an 82 year old woman who can barely hear or see..but she has interest, so we're going to try and teach her.  Helen and Gloriney, who both live in boulder city, will be going out of town...Gloriney until the end of June and Helen just for a week...Helen needs more time to be baptized.  She said she would like to be baptized, but she wants to continue going to catholic church, too.  She also didn't know why it was something super important to be baptized into our church if she was already baptized in the Catholic church...as a baby.  We brought out Moroni 8 on that one and also talked about being baptized by immersion by the AUTHORITY of the priesthood, which the catholic church does not possess.  She understood and her questions were answered, but she needs more time.  We invited her to pray to know if this church truly is the only one with that authority to baptize and she said she would.  She already loves the BOM, so we testified of that as well being the evidence.  We'll see.  I have no doubt she'll be baptized...it's just a matter of when.  We don't want to baptize someone who will still go around telling everyone she's Catholic.  But she loves the church and thinks it has the best values and lifestyle. 

We found another solid potential investigator my last week with Sister Hill, but she'll be out of state until July...so, summer vacation is really putting a dent in our finding efforts. Ha. 

We also met a former investigator with alzheimer's.  He told us his wife was there and let us in.  Turns out his wife didn't want to come out of her bedroom, he called to her like 10 times.  He repeated the same conversation 7 times.  "De donde vienen?"  and every time we told him, he goes, "Chihuahua?  Juarez?" and after we say, "no, somos de los estados unidos" he goes, "....aqui es su casa!"  7 times.  He also told us, "las dos son bien guapas!  Muy bonitas.  Me gustaria casarme con una de ustedes.  Tenemos un cuarto donde pueden vivir."  Super funny.  We left pretty swiftly. 

We also street contacted the ultimate hoarder.  He had a yard full of stuff and we helped him unload a truck full of more junk.  He goes dumpster diving all the time... my first thought was that he must sell this stuff, but then he told us, "I've got so much stuff, I guess I should consider selling some of it."  He also told us about his girlfriend who currently wasn't living with him...told us all about her disturbing life and how she's lived with old men, rapists and stalkers ever sense she was 15.  Pretty weird stuff.  Then some random guy drives up on a bike, says hi real quick, and then goes inside the man's house.  We then say goodbye to go to our dinner apt next door and he shakes our hands and goes, "I don't know that guy (referring to the one with the bike), but he's got keys to my house."  Super interesting. 

We're working hard, we really are! 

Yesterday something pretty precious happened in gospel principles.  The lesson was on eternal families.  One of the recent converts told the teacher his wife died a little over a year ago and he didn't want to get remarried.  The teacher told him he didn't have to get remarried to have an eternal family.  He told him he could get the work done for his wife and he could be sealed to her in the temple for time and eternity.  He started crying, I'm pretty sure it was the first time he ever heard that.  That same night we went to a "Why I Believe" fireside and one of the speakers shared how her youngest son committed suicide at 15 years old.  He died in his father's arms, putting a shotgun to his head.  Apparently his father tried to restrain him, but it didn't work.  She shared how learning about the restored gospel helped her get through that dark time in her life.  One of the things she shared was that growing up she studied with the Jehovah's witnesses and apparently they don't believe we have souls.  She said that after her son died, she felt his presence at different times in her life and just felt that what the J-witnesses believe wasn't true.  That knowledge of the plan of salvation and a clearer understanding of the necessity of the fall of Adam and Eve and how it was part of the plan all along, were things that drew her to the waters of baptism.  And just last week her son was baptized in the temple. 

What a huge blessing that we have temples in these days.  I'm so grateful for this gospel.  I'm grateful for Joseph Smith and his example of true faith... and to know that through him, the church of Jesus Christ has been brought back to the earth again.  Why would a loving Heavenly Father want us to wander in darkness, anyway?  I've come to really love Ephesians 4:11-14.  That foundation of prophets and apostles truly provides that anchor in our lives...so that Christ's church and God's true nature doesn't get twisted and distorted and we always know to which source we can trust - that same organization that was established from the beginning through that same priesthood authority. 

I love you all!              

   

Cinco de Mayo, 2014

Hey!  I just made a goal to re-due the refiners fire as well!  Wow, you have no idea, but your email was an answer to my prayers.  Lately we've been struggling badly to find.  Everyone has just been dropping like flies and won't keep appointments.  I've seen this pattern before in my mission, where we get stuck in this drought for a while before the rain comes again... but sister Hill and I have been praying a lot to find the elect Spanish speakers.  I've lately been feeling the pressure of where I'm at... I feel like my Spanish is mas o menos and I've been wondering, "why alta vista?"  I've been keeping it all in my head and not letting it affect my work, but I just want to finish my mission knowing I met everyone I was supposed to and learning all that I need to... so thank you for sharing your impressions.  I think your words truly are an answer to my prayers.  I need to trust God's timing more.

We have one sweet little old lady with a baptism date who lives in Boulder Çity, but she won't be coming to Alta Vista.  She wants to be taught in Spanish, but she's going to an English ward in Boulder City, so she'll get baptized over there where her fellowship is.  

We also have one woman who has a lot of potential, named Veronica.  She had been taught by missionaries before, including Sister Hill and Veazey, but wouldn't set appointments with them, so they dropped her.  One day I was on exchanges and we went by to visit her.  Surprisingly, she let us in right away and opened up a lot.  She wanted to go to church 2 weeks ago, but her friend's son died of cancer and she had to go be with her and so she wasn't able to make it at church.  She also told us she is nervous to walk in by herself and there had been times where she wanted to go to church, but chickened out at the last minute.  We offered to go by her house before church, have her follow us, and go in together.  She agreed and she came to church last week.  We went back this week to teach her the restoration and we learned that Veronica is a very complex woman.  She's super nice and sincere, but his cynical and has doubts about the first vision because she can't see God appearing to anyone in these wicked days.  She hasn't prayed out loud in a long time because she used to go to a seventh day of venice (Seventh Day Adventist)  church a while ago where she came to know the bible super well, but her husband cheated on her with another woman in the congregation and it really hardened her.  The thing I love about Veronica is that she is so willing to read and pray about the book of mormon to know for herself.  She's a little rough around the edges, but you can tell she really wants to know.  Yesterday we stopped by for lunch and she made us mole.  She didn't keep her commitments from last time, so we read the introduction with her and left her with some verses from Moroni 7 to read and pray about.  She said she would.  She was like, "I'm confused....I just need to read it."  I have a really good feeling about Veronica.  There's something about her, you can just see the hunger there, even if she tries to hide it.

This Sunday I bore my testimony in sacrament meeting.  There's this couple that don't even have their records in our branch, who looooove to get up every fast and testimony meeting and take up the whole hour.  So, sister Hill and I jumped up before they got the chance, and a lot of people followed us.  Bro Lenny (husband who loves to talk for like 45 minutes) did end up getting up there still, but he only spoke for like 5 minutes.  VICTORY!  Sister Hill and I also taught gospel principles because the teacher was sick last minute.  It went pretty well.  The topic was 'developing your talents.'

Today we are going to the Clark County Museum.  It's super legit and I'll take lots of pictures.

As for mothers day, we are going to skype at the Pecjak's house and there shouldn't be any technical difficulties because they're pros...haha.  They've been the go to skype family for a while now and plus, they have a daughter on a mission, so they know the drill.  Sister Hill and I will be able to skype at the same time because they have multiple computers.  They said anytime...we will be eating dinner over there at 5 my time, but we can work something out if we have to so you (dad) can be there.  What do you think?

No, the meeting where I was at with Gissel was a 'Why I believe' fireside.  or 'porque creo yo'.  President Pecjak spoke.  

The plans for August sound awesome!  I'm excited, but focused....haha.  Tomas said he's going to the temple on May 27th, so I'm excited and looking forward to that as well.  

Yep, that's the lake you described!  I was there.  Haha.  Super pretty.  EVERYTHING is in my area... colorado river, lake mead, lake las vegas, hoover dam, etc...haha

    

PS...last week the Elders in her district taught 20 lessons.  The sisters taught 49.  :)  Sisters rock!