Well
another week has passed by, and it was a good one...challenging, but what else
is new? Haha. This week is transfers, and Sis Tejada and I already knew that we
were staying together because of the new training schedule, where trainers stay
w/ the greenies for 12 weeks. But everyone else is all switched up and we have
some new sisters comign in. Coming into the VC this transfer is a girl from
France and a girl from Ghana! I'm pretty stoked. And then the next transfer a girl
from Mongolia and a girl from Pakistan are coming. Right now the only
international sisters we have are Latinas, so this will definitely be a change,
and I'm excited. So this past week was busy, we had district meeting, a charla
fogonera, and mission tour! So mission tour is when a general authority comes
to visit the mission and talks to all the missionaries. So we went on Friday,
and the GA was Elder Che (?), the one who spoke in the priesthood session a
couple general conference's back. He was really really good. Him and his wife
both spoke, as well as stkae president Palmer, as well as Pres and Sis
Ellsworth. There was a lot about just opening up your heart, being unified,
being obedient, being a friend to those you teach, all stuff I loved. He has an
awesome conversion story, and his family it seems were some of the first
members in Korea. As for being "friends", he read John 15:12-15,
check it out...all about how we can be Christ's friends, and how when you're
friends with someone you do the same things as them, so we follow Christ's
example. They also gave the triangle diagram that Elder Bednar shared a while
back about how we can become "one". In a marriage/companionship, its
a three-party relationship, between you, your comp, and teh Lord at the top of
the triangle. So if you want to become more unified with your comp, you both
just have to work towards becoming closer to the Lord, and the distance between
you will become shorter. IDK if you had heard that before, but it is so so so
true...it doesnt matter how different we are, those things won't ever
change...the only thing you can control is how Christlike you are. I've
definitely seen that with Sis Tejada and I, this past week we've become better
friends, but it still can be really hard when you just come from different
cultures and all that.
Anywhozle.
So, aside from that, this past friday we had our ward activity! We were on
shift in the VC at the time, so we could only sneak away for like an hour. But
it was really good to just go there and visit with members. Griselda and Daniel
came, and Guadalupe and her mom came, which was good. Tonight the rama is doing
a last minute trip to the VC, so Sis Tejada and i are trying to make that work,
and to get investigators to come. Jose will probably be coming, possibly some
others. Dad, I appreciate what you said about having sister missionaries haha!
Speaking of which, in the VC this past week, I met a sister who used to serve
in Tujunga like 6 years ago! She's from Mexico, and she remembered the
Barillas', vaguely the Peterson's, etc. So it was really cool that I could tell
her about how teh branch has grown into a ward. She also gave me a referral for
a classmate of her husband who had a really cool story. This classmate came up
to the member's husband, and told him that she had a dream in which her and her
husband were standing there, and the world was falling apart around them, in
utter chaos. Then, the member couple came up to her and her husband, and handed
them a white pear. So they offered them this white pear, and the classmate and
her husband tasted it, and the classmate said that she felt joy once she tasted
it. So she finishes telling the guy this story, and is like, "You and your
wife must have some kind of fruit for me...what is it?" I kid you not!
Crazy, no? So yeah, I'm gonna follow up with her and see how its going with
her.
This
past week in the VC I had more opportunities to work with nonmembers, which was
good practice. One was a Japanese exchange student, and I went through the art
exhibit(which I love) with her and her member friend. (Which is when I saw
Sister Townsend...hahaha that was so random but so great too). We had a great
conversation, but it was really tough because she has zero belief in God,
anything like that. So it ended and she didn't want to give me her address in
Japan for the missionaries, she said she feels more comfortable calling them,
but I gave her the name of my friend Natalie Stevenson whose serving in Tokyo,
so you never know :) hahaha
Another
nonmember experience was with a 7th day adventist. A member came up to her in
Walmart and just started talking religion, and invited her to the VC the next
day, so I got to go through the exhibit with them. That was also pretty tough,
I didn't know all of their beliefs, and you gotta give her credit for how much
she knew her bible :) Darron, I have a new appreciation for you serving in
Nashville. So, she also didn't want to accept missionaries, but she was gonna
go to church with her on Sunday.
Then I
met some nonmembers, 3 ladies from Michigan/Chicago (!) down here for a
constitution fair. They knew a lot about the church, and I took them thruogh
some pictures we have of teh temples, adn showed them some clips of Pres Monson
speaking, etc. They had some great questions. So, one of them accepted
missionaries! Woohoooooo! She said she was mostly just interested in the
history of the church, but I feel like she was really intrigued on a different
level as well. So, good stuff!
Al, you
asked if we do recent convert firesides in the VC...we have a mission president
fireside each month, which is what we had thi past sunday. Once in english,
once in spanish. So that was really cool, I got to sing w/ a group of
missionaries at it. It's really cool to just see how people's lives CHANGE!
So,
what else...Jose is doing well, this past sunday we were supposed to have like
5 people at church, and at the last minute none of them showed :( We're still
teaching Alexis and GIselle, who are these totally awesome teenage girls who
are so fun. BUt it's really tough, because they're so fun, sometimes we don't
take things as seriously...we chat too much and stuff. And because we teach
them in english, I'm more comfortable with my own words, so it's harder for me
to just stop and listen to the Spirit. What else...Griselda is doing well, we
have a great member from another ward helping us out with her. We're hoping to
do more lessons in member homes. Familia Baez...ahh!! They've slowed down, and
it's not good because the ward was way stoked about them and we need to get
them involved to get the ward excited.
In
other news, this transfer our VC schedule is changing! Great news, because now
we'll have more opportunties to go to our wards, more dinners in member homes,
more time in the area.
So
things are going good. Let's just leave it at the Spirit is real, the Atonement
is real, I know God is mindful of each andevery one of us, and I know he has a
plan for each and every one of us. Alright, I must be off! Thanks for
EVERYTHING, I am so sososososoososososo blessed to have your support. Love,
Hermana Fors
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