HAPPY NEW YEAR PEOPLE!!! It was so weird celebrating Christmas and News Years during summer break. It is so HOT every day, plus there was a fire the other day whose smoke has ungraciously added heat to this heat…but that’s not me complaining, I am loving this sun soaking up season. So how is the snow Utah loves? And what about the tourist free beach California loves? Well, to be honest, these past couple of weeks has been super duro [hard] for me as a missionary- menos mal [good thing] that I am a missionary. The good thing about having bad days as a missionary is that you have to try really hard to keep it that way. As I pass through sad or hard times there is always something that we teach, or my compañiera says or something an investigator shares, etc. that brings peace back into my heart. And as the Lord as been testing me, His spirit has given me the strength that I need to endure and BE HAPPY.
New Years Eve, for Hermana Reyes and me, was unforgettable! In the AM we made some super RAD contacts on the micro [bus] that actually live in our sector (my absolute favorite) and before lunch we bought a GINORMUS, AVATAR sized watermelon to celebrate the new year (after carrying that home our arms were shot- we planned on that as being our workout for the day). President Cook gave us the “commandment” to be home by 6 PM that night, because some of the sectors here are dangerous during the holidays, so we didn’t get to visit a lot of our loves that day. But Hermana and I had a lot of fun together, seeing that it was just the two of us in the house. At night, Hermana Yesse and her hubby and their little came over and SURPRISED us with dinner- chicken with a heavenly mushroom sauce (I am obsessed with mushrooms now) and papas duquesa (potato balls). It totally made our night. Also our neighbors, aka our ward mission leader and his wifey, brought us carne from their BBQ (we so love our ward!). So we had a little bit of everything and half of a watermelon. We counted down to the New Year (me being half awake of course!) and now I can hardly believe that one whole year has past by and almost a whole year since I became “Hermana North”.
So this week we have been working a lot with our investigator Belen (18 years old). I don’t remember if I have mentioned her yet, but she is the elder’s recent convert’s daughter. We actually met her knocking doors in our first week here in Quimey! When she came out to open the gate, to our surprise, she said, “Are you guys Elders too?” But we actually didn’t start teaching her until about three weeks ago- on her request. She is super smart and has a ton of questions for us when we teach her, which is a good thing because that means that she actually wants to learn. We have been having a lot of fun teaching her with her family. They are hilarious! Laughing with them makes me feel like I am with my crazy family back at home. On Saturday, she was super excited to show us some things that she bought that morning. She came out with six new dresses and said, “Help me pick one for church tomorrow.” AHH! That melted my heart. (If you didn’t know, it’s kind of a BIG deal when our investigators come to church). Also when we asked her about how her scripture study was going she said, “I have been reading everyday, but I only couldn’t read yesterday because I was at a friends house. But she had a Bible so I read that instead.” When I heard this, I jumped out of my seat and gave her a high five; and there may or may not have been a high pitched scream in there too. It just made me so HAPPY to hear that she is really sincerely looking for an answer from God AND keeping the promise that she made to read her scriptures every day. If we want something from God all we have to do is ask Him and act upon the faith that we have to receive what we are asking for:
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
I am nervous for this week because we find out about cambios [transfers]. I have my fingers crossed that I can stay here in Quimey a little longer. I’m starting to fall in love with everyone here, but I have faith that whatever happens is what will be best for me and the people, even if I think that I staying here will be the best thing.
I LOVE YOU ALL! I hope that your Christmas and New Year was lovely.
Xoxox, Hermana North
picture 1: skeleton grafitti
picture 2: It took up our whole fridge
picture 3: Sunrise from our window
picture 4: 2014! Happy New Year
picture 5: FHE with Belen and the crazies
picture 6:We ate a whole watermellon in 2 days.
picture 7: Hermana Yesse and her fambam
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