7-7-14

Hola Familia!

Honestly it has been a great week! I have so many reasons to be happy! It has been weird not to be doing 4th of July activities, but that is ok. Town was really busy on the Fourth! All weekend actually. It was kind of nice. our chapel was filled to the brim and they had to open it up more than normal which was fun.

Congrats Jenny on the Call!!!!!!!!!! Welcome to the force :)

We had lots of lessons this week and the Lord was definitely watching out for us. The first experience that really helped me grow my faith was on Thursday. Up to this point everything we had been trying to accomplish here had been cancelled hours before it was to happen. Whether it was a member having to tell us they couldn't come or an investigator, we hadn't had a very successful week to this point. But thursday we had good plans. The spiteful side of me was like ya... we will see. Luckily my Faithful side was stronger. We called to confrim our appointments, and one of them wasn't home and we had no way of contacting her... So as a last resort, we dropped a note of at her work and I just thought, "well Lord, i have Literally done everything in my power to let this happen." The outcome wasn't looking great. But we left and went back to work hoping for the best. That night we had dinner with Abigail, one of our investigators. She is the sweetest soul on Earth and will hopefully have the chance to get baptized soon. After dinner, the conversation changed pretty quick when Abigail asked us what Irasema (10) needed to do to get baptized. Well we set a plan with her to be baptized and it was literally God answering so many of my prayers and lifting my spirit all at once. Then was the moment of truth. to see whether or not Jasmin got our note at work. I seriously was on such a high from the lesson before and a whim hoping that she was there that i wasn't even sure what to do. We knocked and she answered the door and was ready to go. it was a miracle!

Then since it was fast and testimony meeting and my companion is newer in the area we were going to bear our testimonies. But we were hoping to see Dioci who is one of the Less active YW we are working with. We started doing personal progress with her once a week to help her build her testimony. (I know those who know me really well are laughing right now. oh personal progress) But i am now starting to appreciate it more than i ever did as a young woman. And her experience this week could be checked off by bearing her testimony about Jesus Christ in Sacrament meeting. we had been studying about the Atonement. Well, sunday came... and so did she! We sat in the more full than usual chapel and she was super nervous. But when she got up she sis awesome. it was very short and started by saying that she was nervous because she had never done it before. She did awesome. And it was a really cool experience. To see someone taking such an action to increase her faith.

This week more often than not has fallen back on the Atonement. It is at the forefront of my mind and everything I have been reading has come back to that. I wish i could understand/comprehend it more fully, but i am also grateful for the knowledge that i do have. I am so glad that Christ chose to be obedient and do the will of his Father. It really hit me this week that everything that we do as missionaries will come back to the fact that Christ is our Savior. It is the center of our teachings and always should be our motivating push to help other people! I love the testimony that i have of him and would love to share it with anyone who would let me.

Oh ya Fourth of July. We had a good fourth of July. We had a BBQ with the Englands including steak and chicken and whatever other things you can imagine! My companion wasn't feeling very good so after dinner she headed off to bed to try and beat whatever it was before it came. So it was a rather lonely one.. Haha the family we live with went to they beach to watch the fireworks. So i went out to watch the fire works at like 10:15 when they finally started and i could only see about half of any given fireworks. Not quite as good as stadium of fire, but i'll take it. I love the fourth. Sarah rockin job on the earings. all the England grandchildren loved them!

Have a great week! Hermana Ray

The second photo is for your birthday Sarah! this was the back view off of our porch at about 9:15 on your birthday :)