Such a great week....

So yeah! Transfers! We have our third companion Sister Fly and she is
from Virginia, and she came out with Hna Burke so they're the same age
in the mission. And she's really awesome and just what we needed and
what the area needed. The best part is that me and her team up and
tease Hermana Burke hahaha, we need to be more Christlike....

So, we taught Carlos twice this week and we're phasing into more
lesson and less talk which is awesome. He has some really good
questions and has been reading, but apparently looking up stuff online
too....so we're going to have to talk about that soon before he comes
across something bad. Curse the internet and all its devilish ways.
But he came to church this sunday!!! On time!!! And stayed for all
three meetings!!!!!!! And was super involved!!!!! He came out of
priesthood and told us he needs to study more. Freak yes. So that was
so cool. Anyway, we had branch council though and our second councilor
talked about Carlos's word of wisdom issues in front of everyone and
that kind of pissed me off. And basically told us we have to be
careful. Psh. It made me mad. Plus I was feeling sick (more to follow
later) and I hate when people bring stuff like that up because if that
gets out 1 Carlos might feel bad or something who knows and drop us,
or 2 if our members bring stuff like that up all the time(which they
kind of do) and President hears about it enough, he might switch our
area. Everyone was surprised when he put the sisters in the ghetto
half of the area haha, and all the members are like you go there????
Yep, at night time especially. But don't worry-we aren't stupid about
it, it's just I know we're safe, and it's not like I don't have the
Holy Ghost to tell me what's up. ALSO AWESOME. Carlos knows one of our
members!! The lawyer guy!! So cool!! He said he had no idea he was
Mormon (ouch haha good one) but yeah, it was so cool, he came into the
chapel, sat down with us, and then got up and started talking to this
hermano and it was so awesome.

Anyway, so backing it up. We switched apartments wednesday? because
ours was too small, so that's nice. But super annoying because the APs
were super slow about authorizing it and letting us be sane. But it's
okay, they can repent hahaha.

Thursday....thursday. Busy day, and then our branch mission leaders's
wife had her husband call us to ask why we hadn't called to confirm
dinner. Well, because we didn't have you for dinner, we had hna
Aurelia. But to try and avoid hurting feelings, we just sent the
elders to eat with Aurelia, and we switched a ton of our plans around
to eat at our branch mission leaders home. It's cool. That day we had
also had zone lunch at sushi house buffet after district meeting. Then
we ate dinner with these people, and it was mole, and honestly it was
the best mole I've ever had. The best, and the last. Then that night,
we took the other sisters to fro yo, and their bishop was there, and
so he paid for us-so nice! Even though I'm pretty sure he was just
trying to buy his forgiveness because he made them cry once, I was
nice to him, and then I realized who he was, and I was still really
nice :) go me. I just have to work on sincere charity hahaha.

Came home, planned, went to bed. Friday-comos woke up feeling sick, I
was fine, did some crunches, leg work outs, all good. Come
companionship study though, I died. The picture is not in anyway
dramatized, that's how I felt and looked. Huge headache, light hurt my
eyes, and I felt like I was going to throw up. And I did, like 5 hours
later. Then I slept, then our neighbors thought it was okay to smoke
some weed, so Hermana Burke sprayed our air freshener to try and take
away the weed smell, but instead, it just mixed into something worse,
and I threw up again. Thanks Hermana Burke <3 (she was feeling sick
too though, so I feel no need for revenge). But I never really felt
better after that second time, and we called the STLs over and they
brought me stouffers mac and cheese at my request (thank the lord I am
in a state side mission close to large chain grocery stores) (never
thought I's be saying that hahaha) and so I ate a bit of that. Some
saltine crackers. Eh, life was okay. But I still felt super sick. And
i wanted a blessing, but I had to call President Jardine to get it
authorized so to speak, and when he called us back (because he didn't
answer!!!) I answered the phone hey president, it's sister mccloud,
and I think he asked me why I answered the phone like that. I don't
know?? I'm sick, I do what I want, what was wrong with it?? Whatever.
Then he asked me how our trio was doing and if we were working. What
is this??? No, I'm hecka sick, so the two of them just went out. And
we're always working, we have always been working. Needless to say I
was just more upset/confused after that phone call. And I called
hermano Perez, no answer SADNESS. then I called President Hirst no
answer SO SAD. I really didn't want to call our branch mission leader
even though he lives super close by because it was all his fault in
the first place. Not really, maybe not, but probably-I can't tell. I'm
still bitter. But then we called Hermana Perez, and she answered!!!!
So then they came!!!!! Yayyy!!!! I was so happy to see them. I love
them so much. And Hermano gave me such a good blessing, so good. I got
a little chastised haha, I was told I have to ask God for help more
often, and that this trial was just one of the many on my mission that
I'd knew I'd have. So yep. It was so good though. I love them so much.
It was so good to see them right then. Hermano told me everything
would be okay, and I just love them.
Saturday was a lot of headaches and wanting to puke but not puking,
and we went out for a while, but being in the car was not fun, riding
or driving, so we did some exchanges so I could nap at home and they
went out (trio perks) and it was good. Lots of popsicles and saltine
crackers and naps.
Sunday night we ate at the Perez, and I ate serviche, which I should
have known better, but I was feeling good, but then I died again. I
sort of napped on their couch while Hermana set up our dinner
calendar, and I took some pain pills, but they didn't help at all.
Didn't really join in on the spiritual thought haha, then we went to
our stake meeting and kind of died in there. It was hot, and it felt
like an elephant was stepping on my head. Lame, but it was good. Came
home and slept. The nurse called and she held true to her
recommendation that ibuprofen really can fix everything.
I hate food, I think I'll be anorexic because it never makes me feel
good. Except stouffers ;)
Life is good!!!! Siga adelante!!! Hopefully pday I'll finish up
whatever this is and I'll be good for this week. Companions are so
nice. So are STLs and members. I love the Perez so much.
Jasmine came to church!! Yay!! And we'll be singing with her and the
yw next Sunday :)

I'm excited for my birthday, the Perez signed up, but I'll have to
invite Leslie so she can get me back. I am so excited. So soon.
Halloween we have a training on the sabbath day. Haha, kinda funny.
But it'll be good.

Anyway, here are some pictures. Love you all!!!!!!!
Hermana McCloud

                    The Mole and the morning after hahaha.

Transfer 3 in Elk Grove!!!! :D

So this week. Not a lot of people were home, but we did okay.
Carlos came to our branch Halloween party! And he made salsa for the
salsa competition. We were going to make it with him and then go, but
when we got there, his roommate's girlfriend (curse you Tara!!) had
gone to work, so we couldn't go in. So sad. So he made salsa really
fast and we talked to his roommate Vladi. Alsoo!! Hahaha so before
(this was friday) maybe on tuesday? Or monday? Haha we went and that's
when we met Tara and hung out with Vladi for a while, and we went in,
sat on the couch, tried not to look at the tattoo show they were
watching haha and they were drinking, and Vladi was all "can I get you
something to drink? Beer? Bloody mary? Enchilada? Oh, an enchilada is
like a bloody mary but it's beer and v8 juice, it's really good, we
have vodka, you guys don't want anything?" It was hilarious, and we
said no, we don't drink haha but thanks, and he tried to offer us
juice or water and he said he would keep offering us enchiladas until
we tried them. Hahaha poor Vladi. Just wait till we teach you about la
palabra de sabidura. It was hilarious. Never have I been offered so
much. Anyway, but Vladi's really cool, we're going to try and teach
him, and maybe Tara, she seemed to have some knowledge about
stuff-tattoos came up because of the tv show, and she said something
about how our bodies were temples. What?? Psh, as she drinks her beer.
It was cool to get to know them better.

Ana Gonzales failed her test for part of her nursing program...so
that's really sad, and a big loss of money and invested time, but she
said she just didn't have time to join a church right now, but if she
did, it would be our church, so maybe now since she'll have time
she'll join our church :) she's so cool. She loves us. She always
talks and then stops herself and asks us to share a message,
interrupts, then pauses and let's us continue, haahha. She's so cool.
Her husband was an investigator the elders taught a long time ago,
but they pressured him a little, and he backed away from a baptismal
date, and now he's cool with us, and he even gave us tacos a couple
weeks back haha. Hopefully we'll get them moving.

Ana (other Ana) went to Hawaii and she got back the 17 and we visited
her on Sunday and she brought us tasty macadamia chocolates and little
bracelets :) she's so nice. We have an appointment with them tonight,
so hopefully Pedro will be there and we can teach the kids too.

Stake Conference this Sunday and Saturday was good. I like our stake
presidency, they're really cool. Oohhh hahaha earlier on saturday
before the priesthood leadership session we went into the church to
look up an address, I pulled up in the parking lot, missionary style,
parking sideways through 3/4 spaces. And we came out and a member
laughed and said nice job, and then guess who walked up? President
Jardine. He walks up, and he asks who parked like that? And Hna Burke
says nothing-I had done it, but she really left me out in the cold
haha, so I explained yeah we just pulled up really fast, it's so
convenient, we can just pull out and I don't have to wait to for her
to back me up, we're just leaving. And he was like oh good, the
parking lot will be full soon, and then he walked off and shouted he
loved us. AHH. I was terrified. Hahaha President is all giant and
scary and asks "who parked that car" I thought he was going to ask for
the keys right then hahaha. But it was fine. In Stake Conference when
he spoke he just said to all the missionaries "we love you so much" so
that was nice, shoutout to us in stake conference :)

So yeah, and then transfers saturday night, our District Leader is
leaving :( and he went to go be a zone leader again where our past DL
went to be a zone leader -in Folsom. So that was funny. All our DLs
turn into Zone Leaders haha no big deal. I always take credit for
those. Hahaha just kidding. But it was kind of funny. There aren't
that many changes in the zone this transfer, so that's cool. But Elder
Ortega got transferred out so that's really sad, it was so handy to
have a native speaker in the branch, all the members loved him and he
was hilarious. And now soccer on pday won't be as much fun either. Ahh
so sad, it feels like our little brother got taken away from us. He
had us sign his soccer jersey though. And he said he only wanted the
really cool missionaries to sign it. He was really sad to go. But
Elder Bingham will be training! Yay for him! So it's like we will be
training. Hahahaha. Just kidding just kidding, he will actually do a
really great job. He's a great missionary. It'll be sweet.

And now we are in a trio! Hermana Fly came to join us. I was super
surprised that Sis Burke and I are staying together for another
transfer. Also, she and Hermana Fly have the same amount of time left,
just 2 transfers, counting this one starting now. So hopefully that
means that we'll all stay together for another two transfers, I'll
kill them both, and have to stay for at least one more when they send
me a new comp. thwt is my master plan. And prayer is all about God
changing and aligning his will with ours so I've been praying about it
a lot. Hahaha. Hilarious, but that would really be so awesome.

But I will be here for my birthday so that's the best thing ever.
Leslie is going to smash my face in a cake. I cannot wait. I am so
excited. (Elder Ortega said he was really sad to be missing that too
hahaha, I'll get someone to email him pictures.)

Anyway, life is good. No one is on date, but hopefully we can get
Carlos to say yes to being baptized on my birthday. Carlos, all I want
for my birthday is your remission of sins, is that too much to ask?

All our investigators love us. Haha, and the members. Life is good,
now we just have to dunk 'em.

This took so long, my thumbs hurt. I love you all!!!!!!

Love Hermana McCloud

The baby pit bull that followed us around for a while when we were out walking.

Isn't this fantastic? Their church has two storeys!!!

Faith to Become

Oh my gosh!!! Everything is happening!! Haha so the picture is from a
member in an English ward who's house we did service at. Her husband
is German, you should be friends with them.

So this week:

Tuesday Elder Schlee our district leader asked me to give a 20 minute
training on the Faith to Become, and I said I'd do it, because it
seemed exciting and who says No, not me. But wow, was I freaking for
those two days in between. But it went really well. Thursday came
around and by the time we got to the church I felt like it was just in
God's hands haha I did all I could, and it went really well and
everyone talked and it just flowed!! Yeah spirit!! It was cool.

We had another awesome Talk with Jasmine and she really is so strong
and wonderful, and she teaches us. I have a much better perspective on
missionaries and converts.

Sorry this is so short, ran out of time haha. I love you all. Doctrine
and Covenants is where it's at. I love you all, sorry this is lame.

Hey here are my notes from the training :) they might be cool:

The Faith to Become- respond to His expectation that we become as He is.
How, then, could we be content with anything short of exaltation if we
know that exaltation is possible?
Having the desire to do what is right is not enough if we do not make
sure to understand what our Father expects from us and wants us to do.

In the story of Alice in Wonderland, Alice does not know which way to
go, so she asks the Cheshire Cat, "Would you tell me, please, which
way I ought to go from here?"

The cat replies, "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."
Alice says, "I don't much care where."
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," says the cat.

Elder Jorge F Zeballos 70


Alma's call for us to desire to believe and to "give place" in our
hearts for the Savior's words reminds us that belief and faith require
our personal choice and action. We must "awake and arouse [our]
faculties." We ask before it is given unto us; we seek before we find;
we knock before it is opened unto us. We are then given this promise:
"For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth;
and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."

Alma 32:27
27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an
experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even
if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you,
even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion
of my words.

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Belief and testimony and faith are not passive principles. They do not
just happen to us. Belief is something we choose--we hope for it, we
work for it, and we sacrifice for it.

From Elder Clayton, Choose to Believe 70

Mosiah 5:1-4, 7
1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to
his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they
believed the words which he had spoken unto them.

2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the
words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their
surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which
has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no
more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

3 And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and
the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to
come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.

(We must have a vision of what is possible, this comes through
personal study of the scriptures and recognizing what we need, faith &
humility,"Thus, the sources that allow us to learn our duty are the
words of Christ that we receive through ancient and modern prophets
and the personal revelation that we receive through the Holy Ghost.")

4 And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king
has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge,
whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy.

7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be
called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for
behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that
your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are
born of him and have become his sons and his daughters

A powerful expression of that love is what the scriptures often call
the grace of God--the divine assistance and endowment of strength by
which we grow from the flawed and limited beings we are now into
exalted beings of "truth and light, until [we are] glorified in truth
and [know] all things."

From Elder Uchtdorf 12

Ether 12:27
27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I
give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is
sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they
humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make
weak things become strong unto them.

Humility is a sign of Spiritual Strength.

Let us press forward by learning our duty, making correct decisions,
acting according to those decisions, and accepting the will of our
Father.

How grateful and happy I am for the decision that my father let me
make 47 years ago. Over time, I have come to understand that the
condition he gave me--to be responsible for that decision--meant being
responsible to my Heavenly Father and seeking my own salvation and
that of my fellowmen, thereby becoming more as my Father expects and
wants me to become. On this very special day, I testify that God our
Father and His Beloved Son live. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

If You Will Be Responsible. Jorge F Zeballos 70

Hebrews 11 Chapter Heading

D&C 88:63-64
63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently
and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall
be opened unto you.

64 Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you,
that is expedient for you

D&C 103:31
31 Behold this is my will; ask and ye shall receive; but men do not
always do my will.

 36 All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your
diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith.

Hebrews 11:22-23
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for
he is faithful that promised;)

Hebrews 11:35-39
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great
recompence of reward.

36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of
God, ye might receive the promise.

37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul
shall have no pleasure in him.

39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them
that believe to the saving of the soul.

Bible Dictionary on Faith: The Lord has revealed Himself and His
perfect character, possessing in their fulness all the attributes of
love, knowledge, justice, mercy, unchangeableness, power, and every
other needful thing, so as to enable the mind of man to place
confidence in Him without reservation.

We cannot doubt, we cannot fear or hold back. Faith is the saving of
the soul whereas fear is the losing of the soul. Believe in the
Atonement and progression of all things, or be afraid, doubt the
atonement, question doctrine, and digress into perdition.

Mosiah 3:19
19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall
of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the
enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and
becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and
becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love,
willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict
upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

Mosiah 4:11-12
11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have
come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his
goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of
your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls,
even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in
remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his
goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and
humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name
of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which
is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always
rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a
remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the
glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is
just and true.

GOD IS LOVE

Hey Fam!! So this week rocked because it was conference and we had zone training. So it was raining revelation. Hallelujah!!   We also got to talk with Jasmine and it was so amazing. That girl is crazy and I can't believe she hasn't given up yet. So we sent her to try the YSA branch because she really can't handle the family branch right now, and there is some stuff that went down with her aunt (who is in our branch) and her parents, and she is tired of going to church alone and being surrounded by families, so she tried out the YSA and ended up leaving early and she told us what happened and basically I kinda wanna speak to that bishop. Basically after speaking with him she decided to just leave the church and give up, but we texted her and she said she felt prompted to reply and so she kept in touch with us and she says we're the only reason she hasn't decided to be done. She hasn't come to church since then, but she said she's going to try out the Wilton ward with another convert her age she kind of knows at school. Thank goodness. The girl's parents are inactive members but she goes by herself sometimes and really likes that ward, so she goes when she can. It was crazy. Jasmine is just so close to the edge and since we're her only good ties it's kind of a lot of pressure to say and do the right things. My companion did really well at that, Jasmine said she goes running a lot to deal with problems and I was going to ask her about praying and reading because I don't know, those things help, but my companion was like hey that's good, keep doing that. And I was like uh okay. But then later she said that's why she likes us so much, that we aren't robot missionaries and give fakey answers. It was cool, she's so nice. She said she doesn't know why we haven't baptized 200 people yet because she can feel the spirit so much when she's with us. Made us cry. Haha. But the one part that was the coolest (I thought #humble) was when I said some stuff about God trusting her, and us trusting her and that she can take her time, and if it means not coming now, it's okay, because we know she won't ever leave. It was crazy, it was like I had no idea what I was saying and when I was saying that the spirit filled the chapel, it was way cool. She is so special, Satan is working so hard to try and get her off the path right now because he knows how powerful she'll be in the kingdom. Freaking mad at that bishop, I don't know who he thinks he is. Speaking of me being mad at bishops. My other sisters- like sister missionaries -were at dinner at their bishops house, and he ripped apart their spiritual thought and made one of them cry. Freaking. Who is he???? They have a name tag, not you mr all knowing bishop guess what's in my head. What a jerk. Who does that?? It made me so mad. It makes me really appreciate our branch president and how awesome he is and loving and not a wench.  Ah well. Conference was so amazing, I feel like I have a do to list, which is good, it's nice to have specific things to work on. Zone training was all about harvesting. We have a mission goal of 711 baptisms, and we only have 300. Sooo it's harvest time. Time to reap. Zone training was about preach my gospel, faith, obedience, and that we are here to harvest, not to plant and water. It was motivating. I JUST LOVE CONFERENCE SO MUCH. ALL THE TALKS WERE SO GOOD. Carlos came to the baptism but he didn't come to conference this weekend. We had a member present lesson with him, and it went okay, it was with Hno Perez who we love, but it just wasn't very smooth, but he's been texting us and keeping in touch really well so that's a good sign.  Correlation this week was so good. I love our mission leader, he made us abuelita haha, so he must care for real now. But he is really encouraging, and he was super successful on his mission and tells us awesome stories which motivate us. I want to be like him. Hahaha, he had a family ask to be taught by him and he turned them down because he was too busy teaching other families he had to baptize, he'd offered before and they'd always turned him down. The members threw him 3 farewell parties when he left. He had 17 baptisms in one month. Granted they all only had to come to church once before being baptized but still. So cool. He's cool.  Pues, everyone go home and keep the sabbath day holy, pay tithing, follow the prophet, listen to the holy ghost, etc etc hahaha the gospel is awesome. Those new apostles are awesome. I love them so much already. SPIRIT.  I AM SO EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS. AND MY BIRTHDAY. AND HALLOWEEN. I LOVE YOU ALL. THE CHURCH IS TRUE.

You've got a lot of heart

Hey!! Yeah the sugar fast is hard because everything in our house has
sugar in it because sugar is in all pre packaged foods. Do you have
any better ideas? Like any good cleanses or magic pills/drugs?
Hahahaha. But a cleanse would be nice. I only heard Uchtdorf's talk
and it was so good!!! I took 20 dollars out of my account today, just
fyi, and hopefully our c ars will be refilled fornext week. And we're
good for dinners. I'm excited for Carlos, he's basically golden,
except he drinks. Haha but we should be able to get him through that
pretty well. How are you?? Things are cooling off here I think, which
I am super glad about. We think that they're going to extend the girls
to 2 years or cut everyone down to 18 months. I just feel like there's
going to be something exciting happening, but maybe I'm just getting
caught up in the new apostle spirit buzz in the air hahaha. But the
mission kind of feels like that too, it's because it's so young. They
keep on saying everyone will be training, but more English elders just
keep coming in hahah and obvs I won't be training any of them hahahaha.
Sister Burke likes bagpipes and so I've been listening to some good
old Scottish stuff :) I miss you!! Sometimes I think I miss you a ton,
and I get excited for Christmas, but then someone like Hermana Perez
comes along and plays with my hair so it's all good :) I am going to
cook you so much real Mexican food when I get home hahahaha. Can you
believe how long I've been out? It's crazy how fast time goes, all
ready on my second conference!! I love revelation!!!! I got your
letter today too!!! Thank you so much for writing!! You're fine,
Sister Burke doesn't get that much mail, sometimes I feel bad, but
it's okay, they send her giant packages haha, if we're together for
Halloween can you send some stuff for both of us? It's the best when
you can share (I do share anyway of course haha all those gummies
hahaha) I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! Tell everyone hi for me!!!!! I can't
believe Mary is getting married already!!! Isn't it so weird that's
what happens after people come home? Don't worry they're extending me
to 2 years so it'll be fine. I'm moving my records to the Sac 10
Branch hahahaha. If you wanna stalk some roads we're always down on
Waterman, Vintage Park, Calvine, Bond, Elk Grove Florin, they're all
in Elk orove. It's an ok place, I just love the people. Wilton is
awesome though, that's where my branch president lives. He rocks. He's
taking us iut to eat tomorrow at 8 haha, we'll be home at like 10 with
drive time hahaha

LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

Entrevistas

Wow so this week was interviews and so it was probably one of the best weeks I've had on the mission. I love President Jardine so much. So much. He is like my personal prophet. Our interview was so good. My interview haha. We talked about the Atonement and being a disciple in Christ, and how I need to forgive myself. President also gave me some council which I think has changed my life. He said "Every time you look back, or look behind you, you let Satan control your future." Wow. Then we had a talk about the Armor of God and how the Atonement is about looking forward with hope. He told me that Godly Sorrow is in every fiber of the gospel, but that guilt never has been and never will be part of the gospel. Wow. So cool. He also silenced two phone calls...both of which I'm pretty sure were from the office of the first presidency who he was supposed to call at 12. Oops. Sorry President, but if they were calling to make you the new apostle I'm glad you missed it because you aren't allowed to leave. Hahaha I love him so much. Plus he's not black, asian, or Mexican so he can't be the new apostle. That's what I'm guessing haha. 

In district meeting we talked about accepting the Atonement and keeping the gospel simple, because that's how it really is. And we did roleplays of just saying one sentence of doctrine. Like "God loves you and wants you to be happy."  "Christ has paid for your sins" "Living Christ's Gospel gives you peace in this life and eternal joy" "Jesus understands perfectly everything you have ever experienced." It was crazy spiritual. I mean for the sisters at least. Not to hate on the elders, but they were laughing haha, in the mean time it was like super spirit in the sister corner and I cried and Sister Barfuss and Sister Diamond both teared up a little. It was awesome. It was straight spirit testifying to spirit, because there was nothing else in the way for the spirit to work around or to not testify of haha. It was so cool. Sister Burke and I are going to look for opportunities to use that kind of simple testifying in lessons and contacting. Also our DL showed us a video from the 12 step addiction program and it was Sooo Good!!! Everyone go watch those!!! What we took away from it was the question "will you let me take this?" Which is what Christ asks us all the time and we never quite give it all or let him take it from us, it's crazy how simple the gospel of Jesus Christ is and we over complicate it to try and understand how someone could love us so much. We're imperfect and we can't comprehend how someone could love us so perfectly, so we hold back. I love the Atonement.

AND a friend of our member got baptized this Sunday-the elders taught him- and Carlos Pilar came!!!!! YAAAYYY HE IS SO COOL!!!!! And Hermano Perez took him under his wing and it was the best thing ever, I love that family. I am inviting them to my wedding. Anyway, Carlos liked the baptism and then he stayed for the dinner afterwards and it was so awesome, the members really opened to him and made him feel comfortable and it was the best. He said he would come to general conference too!!!!!! YAY FOR THE SPIRIT!!!!Â

I LOVE THE MISSION I LOVE THE GOSPEL I LOVE THE ATONEMENT I LOVE THE SACRAMENT I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON AMEN Y AMEN. 

This is a little vent-y, but hey, thanks for listening :)

So this week we had exchanges and they were awesome. Sister Diamond who is an English sister I lived with in Rancho is my STL here now and it makes me so happy. She is awesome. Our exchanges were awesome, basically we stayed at home and talked. Hahaha just kidding. We talked a lot in the car because their area is a whole stake and so we had lots of drive time. It was so good though. And we taught a lesson to one of their investigators who is on date, and who would have thought, but the sisters felt they needed to teach the law of chastity, and this kid was already living it!! Yeah!!!! He said yeah I've been living that way for 2 years. Go him!!! His name is Ryan. And he is on date for October 10? Or something like that. Haha, I don't know the date anymore, ever. I stick with days. Like today's when we go to church right? Yeah so tomorrow is the day we clean the apartment. It's already the day we do weekly planning? Where did all those days go? Hahaha. Anyway. Time is weird. It just sneaks on by all the time.

Anyway, exchanges were so good, teaching Ryan was so awesome. English is weird, but it was still really good. And Sister Diamond is just the best at sincere compliments. So that was really nice hahaha. Then we went to her leadership zone meeting, and that was really cool, even though I wasn't a leader I got to go and they actually included me, and it was cool. It's like branch council for the zone haha. I'm glad they have those meetings, I sympathize a little more with leaders now and I like to think I'm a little ehh like nicer or better behaved, more open to their suggestions. But I still think our new zone leader is trying too hard and it kinda bugs me. But hey, at least he's trying rather than not trying. It's just his thing is like this zone needs to have FUN!! And I'm like oh excuse me, I wasn't having fun last transfer or ever? I've been doing it wrong this whole time? Oh please enlighten me. Please look way too into which sports we play as a zone on pday.  ALSO, if I sit next to an elder in district meeting don't awkwardly ask the elder to move like a minute later. Don't make something out of Nothing. I promise, zero feelings involved except for the feeling of "there is an open chair and I feel like sitting in it because it's closest."  I don't have time for elders. I promise. They are Elders, that should explain everything of what I meant when I said I don't have time for elders. Plus so many of them just seem like sensitive and stuff. Please no, sisters are drama enough as it is. Suck it up and love your companion, end of story :) 

So anyway, I love my zone, I have so much fun. I love it so much I go to every zone morning glory and I have so much fun. Also I probably need to work on loving all the missionaries in my zone and not getting offended by someone telling me to have fun. Also the ysa sisters told Jasmine she couldn't come to ysa since she's basically inactive in our spanish branch now, and that made me wicked mad. This girl doesn't need anymore rejection and in the manuals I read it says ysa just needs to be 18-30 it doesn't say anything about being graduated already or not. She's going to graduate this year, make an exception to your silly rule. Ahhhh. Whatever. It's cool. Life is good, I just wish the YSA sisters would have let us tell Jasmine or not told her right away the day she finally decided to come back to church. But it's cool man, it's cool. 

No one is super progressing, but we have people to see so that's good. Interviews are coming up-YAYYY. And the elders are finally baptizing Jose next Sunday so I am super pumped for that.

Love you all!!!

Sis Burke's family sent us a ton of food which was really nice and thoughtful but I feel like if I eat it I'll become a real Mexican and get Diabetes!

And just the sheriff telling everyone to not wash their car to save water with his bumper sticker haha

Sac 10 Rocks

So this week was pretty sweet. We got special permission to go to la
actividad multicultural and it was so cool. We missed the food though,
which I am not gonna lie I am a little bitter about that hahah, but
it's okay, because we added a new investigator while everyone was
eating, so hey. Sacrifices=blessings hahaha. His name is Carlos and he
was like I really want to change my life, I know there's something
more out there, can you come back and we can talk more about religious
things? Uh si, we most definitely can do that. Hahaha so that's
awesome. He's way cool.

Then another time we went to a return appointment we'd made with a
daughter, her dad answered the door and shot us down hardcore hahaha,
so we left, were going to get in the car, but instead talked to this
guy standing outside smoking and talked about stuff, he's a facebooker
for causes hahaha I don't know, and we talked and shared a scripture,
and he said he would come to church someday, and said we could try to
convert him, hahaha challenge accepted, we know where you live. The.
We kept walking and there were these two mexican guys, and we walked
up, and the one guy came out from the cars and we were like uuhh....
But then he was like oh good to see you guys, are you here for my
wife? So we said yes hahaha, and he said oh she isn't here right now,
it's been a while, here's her number, call and set up an appointment
and come back. So that was awesome, we had no idea who they were, but
we looked them up and they're some dropped investigators from a couple
months back or something? So cool. Then we kept walking, talked to
this asian lady, she recognized who we were, and she didn't really
speak English, but she gave us a reference haha, she took my comp's
planner and wrote down the address and everything, it's for Mong, but
we can send her and her referral in haha so that rocks. The only
downside is that literally everyone was smoking pot that day on the
streets we were walking on and we got headaches hahaha. I hate pot. So
much. You can smell the sin.

Pedro is doing super super well. We haven't seem him yet this week,
but we'll get him haha. Bring some more members to introduce to him
and Ana. She still doesn't want to come to the Spanish branch, but
we'll get her. Haha we'll get them both haha.

Ate some really awesome food this week which kind of made me sick haha,
it's called chincharron, I can't spell that. Anyway, it's like fat
from the back of a pig. Like that's all it is. And they eat it. And
this time it was in salsa verde. And I'd already had a plate of rice
and chicken with mole, and then a plate of that and I couldn't eat it
just by itself so I ate it with tortillas. I didn't finish but I
literally felt so sick. I died in the car hahaha, put the seat back
and tried not to throw up hahahaha good times. It's over now. Hahaha

This sunday Jaime didn't find our car!!! Yay!!! Church was good, we
went to go find a Maria after church and she wasn't home but we met
her dad. Then we went to dinner with the Perez Family, and I love them
so much. They're invited to my wedding. They have to be there. And it
was fun because we helped Hna make the food and Hermano was being his
usual hilarious self and I played the guitar and then the Suarez
family came over and the elders and it was like this giant family
event. They rock. And everyone teased me because they thought I was
too scared to ask for more food so they kept trying to give me more
food, and I was trying to defend myself and my companion even betrayed
me and went with them and the elders tried to give me watermelon and
Hermano acted all offended that I didn't like the food, but he knew I
was kidding. Ay, Hermano is so funny, and Hermana, I love her so much.
They are hilarious together. I want to be them. Hermana is like our
mom. I didn't get to do the dishes this week, but next week. Hna Burke
tried but she isn't as sneaky as me hahaha, so until next Sunday.

Anyway, life is good. LOVEYOUALL!!!!!!!
Katie

Packages & Knees

Hey!! No packages yet, but the mail hasn't come yet today.  :(
On the upside, I'm finally seeing the doctor for my knee, and I have
at least a 10 dollar co-pay, and I have no money :) I do, but not a
lot, so yeah....if you could bail me out ;) you da best. My
appointment is at 2:30 so if theres money on it before then that'd be
awesome. Haha yeah send my bday one now hahahaha. I am so excited for
my birthday, Elder Ortega is already planning to smash my face in a
cake hahahaha.
Ok, I'll email later again, but we gotta do stuff before my appt.

September 21, 2015

 


Hey!! So YES I DID GET THE PACKAGES!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!! <3
they made my day. One day I was actually really mad and then came home
and my soccer shoes were waiting for me :)
The doctor's was fine, I told dad all the details. The money? I don't
know haha. I have 5 dollars on my mission account. And I don't have my
sfcu account number, and I haven't looked up those banks yet haha. I need 
to know more things that pertain to my life hahaha like bank info and such. 
It's whatevs.

Da Week

Transfers! District Awesome has been disbanded :( due to the transfer
of our district commander hahaha oh well. It's weird how close you get
to people, like we were literally a family! Oh well, life goes on. We
did an awesome service project and wore our district shirts that we
made together. I got a sweet tan and Hno Perez says I look like a
lamanite. YAS. He and his wife were also talking about mi "color de
voz" so cool, my voice color. Just sounds better in Spanish. Like
everything else haha.

I love Spanish. And I love this branch so much. I'm so glad Hna Burke
and I are staying. This transfer is going to be awesome. We know the
members a lot more and I feel like we will utilize that this transfer
and stuff will explode. Hopefully. That's the plan hahaha.

I really don't know what else to say....I still keep up with my
journal? Hahaha so that's good.

OOHHH we ate with an English member and it was so awesome. Dad he's
kind of like you!!! I felt so at home, and it was so what I needed in
the moment, but after it was so funny to realize why they don't let
missionaries read anything except the mish library haha. We talked
about the Talmud, and how we might have multiple heavenly mothers, and
the false temples, Ham stole the garment, Noah used the stones to
light the ark, the veil in the temple is Jesus Christ. It was just so
cool. So nice and fresh to have something else to think about. And
they make you call them Pat and Brenda, no brother or sister because
would you call God or anyone in heaven, brother Jesus? Brother God?
Hahaha it was cool, it was just nice to find some people out here that
are more like you guys haha, that aren't converts of two years hahaha.
Nothing against the Spanish branch, but sometimes, yeah. Otherwise I
love the Spanish branch, it's a lot of work I see having gone to some
branch councils, but still, it's kind of simple in a way, and it feels
like work. Because we work to help people get ready to make covenants
they haven't made yet, whereas in an English ward, it's just not as
big a deal sometimes, like me getting my endowments-no big deal, but
in the Spanish branch it's huge, and it's nice to see people work
together to take care of other people, to help them save themselves.
This branch is awesome.

The biggest thing this week is just Satan haha. Jasmine who is a
senior in highschool, who finally decided to go on a mission again,
came to church, then missed 3 sundays. We saw her 3 weeks ago, and she
was good, and then she said from that night everything fell apart. She
had a dream that night that she was leaving on her mission and then
someone asked her not to go. They told her not go on her mission, just
a straight clear voice and she said it felt so real. And when she woke
up she just felt sick and confused and like she hasn't even been
living her life how she wants to, and that she doesn't fit in at
church, and her family picks on her for going, and then at church she
doesn't get enough real support. There's no one in her life that she
feels puts her first, and it was so sad, I was so furious that she
felt that way, that Satan had made her feel like that and question so
much and question herself and her self-worth. I don't know. And she
said she's been having dreams about people from the branch about their
lives and marriages falling apart, and they've been messing her up!! I
was so mad!!!!! Satan can give me all the crap dreams he wants, but
not her. We talked for a while. And Sister Burke is a godsend, she is
here for Jasmine, there's no other way to say it, and I am so glad
she's here and that Jasmine has someone like her and it's just such a
blessing. I love missionaries. I love missions. I can't believe I'm
almost half way, can you believe that? Time is crazy. It just goes.

I think Dylan's choice is good. I think it'll work out.

I love you guys! Did you send me a package yet? Hahaha ;) I'll try and
get you a real letter sometime. It's just now I love zone sports so
much.....because we play soccer and I've actually been perfecting my
goalie skills it's kind of hilarious. But it's fun.

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!

So the district is Elder Ortega from Mexico and who is AMAZING at
soccer, he's 20 but he's like a little brother (he is finishing
training someone this new transfer, a kid from PA) then Elder Jensen
from UT who just finished training Elder Ortega and is now a ZL in
Folsom, super awesome, he's like the super man elder we all want to
be, Me, Comp, Sister Miller from East Sac but now we're really close
:) and Sister Robinson who is really cool from Idaho.

Week of the Awesome Worstness

Soo this week was good. It got pretty rough, but there were some
really good parts. Church was good, we got a new branch mission leader
and so he's cool, I like him.

Okay, I don't know if this is in order but this is what I remember. Hahaha

Pdays always good because we play soccer, so that's good. Soccer
always helps. So does Bob Dylan. We left the apartment and it had been
whatever, and I was kind of singing "How does it feel??!!" Pretty loud
and some awesome black guy in his car was like "sing it to me!" And my
comp got in the car and left me in that awkward situation by myself
hahaha but it was cool, we're  friends now, he was changing his tire,
he woke up with a flat tire. And he was in such a good mood
#inspiration, I'll have to baptize him. He was awesome, we had a good
chat.

Um, so wednesday? Arandi is getting baptized saturday, and I was like
freak man, I texted you last week and you said you would let me know,
so I texted Elder Silva again and he said no, they actually dropped
her. So wow. Dagger to the heart. That really sucked. She's just
another one of the people I super loved that I had on date who was all
ready to go, got transferred, and the next missionaries dropped them.
Yeah sure, they receive revelation for that area now, but it really
sucks leaving people that you've helped grow and change, and then the
next ones come in and are like ehhh, no, never mind. Marcos and
Ivet-dropped, all the Maldonados Family members-dropped, Jose
Villa-dropped, and now Arandi-dropped. Ugh. Just really hard to trust
sometimes.

So that day started that way, plus we were sick-ish, I actually hurt
my foot on pday hahah so I was like hobbling around, And it's end of
the month, watching miles and trying to walk more, so yeah. Basically
I was really mad/sad. How could someome who had come to church twice,
come to baptism, read the whole Book of Mormon be Dropped??!!!!

So we drove to our lesson, I had a nice cry in the car. Got out.
Walked to go meet our sort of investigator who works with the ehhh
overly nice member who gave us watermelon last week. And our
investigator -bless him-the first thing he does is ask if I'm okay,
why I had been crying, who had done it, (looks at my companion
hahaha), he called me "mi hija" which like almost made me cry again
hahaha, it just means my daughter, but he said it so nice, and I was
already a wreck hahaha, and so then I kind of explained the situation
and I think the whole thing went really well to strengthening our
relationship with him, and although we didn't really teach anything,
it was pretty awesome.

Then we found Jose!!!! Yay!!! We were walking down the street, decided
to walk to see someone, got to their door, changed our mind, walked
back down the street, went to try Jose ans he was there!! With two of
his friends from work!! So we totally taught all three of them! It was
way cool!! They were all drinking, but hey, haha, we'll take it. We
all talked, and then they were like alright, it's your turn to talk,
so I asked them if they knew what a prophet was, so we had a nice talk
about prophets, then they told my comp it was her turn, she asked them
if they knew what their life purpose was. It was so legit. This is all
outside at like 8:30 at night in the dark drinking mexican soda-or
beer in their case hahah-and it was just so cool. And we have a return
appointment so hopefully that works out. So that was Wednesday.

Thursday we had an awesome district meeting on being grateful and it was
really cool. I love district meetings. I also love my district.
Districts are the bomb. Zones are cool and stuff, but Districts are
where it's at.

Friday we had return appointments with Gilberto(lunch break
investigator who called me mi hija) and he stood us up. We waited for a
half hour. That sucked. Had a member present planned at 7 with Jose
who we'd talked to and called to double check. Stood up us and our
member.

But then we went to correlacion and our new leader is cool, the Elders
were coming late from an appointment, and they came in wicked happy
because they'd just gotten someone on date!!! It's another Jose haha
but all his friends are members-really well fellowshipped, amd he
accepted a date in 2 weeks!!!! This branch hasn't had a baptism in like
9 months? I don't know. It's awesome. They're so pumped. Elder
Ortega's first baptism in the mission, and Elder Jensen has been here
for these like 9 months or whatever, so that's awesome. Baptisms get
everyone excited in the ward. And we also had a branch bbq, but it
turned out to be like 2 families hahaha, the kid getting baptized, his
sister and her friend and we all played volleyball. It was cool. I
hate pros clothes. But whatever, We played hardcore, my comp dived for
the ball in a dress hahaha.

Sunday was good, everyone received the counsel to show more
affection to your spouse in public? And how we all need to get married
stat? Haha cool cool. That was sacrament meeting and combined third
hour. Us poor missionaries. Hahaha, we were all like uhhh can we
leave? And then Hermano Hernandez was like hey Hermanas, you look for
your princes among the browns too, not just the whites hahahahha.

And now it's pday again, and I tried to make arroz con leche but I
think I need to practice my skills. Life is good, we have two families
we have pass off lessons with from the elders this week so that's WAY
exciting. Families!! One is a part member, and the other is just
investigating. I won't drop them, that's for sure. Gotta go. LOVE YOU
ALL!!!!

This is Adan and he loves me. He doesn't love mycompanion. Hahahaha


Hermana McCloud

The Transfer Snuck By Again

Wow. The weeks are like days, for real. So our ward mission leader got released which was really sad because he's the best, but he's our new second councilor!! So yay! He's so awesome. His family is the best, their little son and I are best friends now. I think he's 4 or something. District Meeting was really good too. We read a talk by Elder Holland called the miracle of a mission. Everyone go read it!! It's awesome. It just helps you realize what you want for your mission, because so much of the mission is what you decide to do and get from it. That's what it did for me at least. And then we did a little exercise thing, where we had to write down what we felt about our missions if we had to go home tomorrow. Like could we say we'd done our best everyday, had we learned anything about using the Atonement, did we love our companions and the people? It was way cool. It was an awesome wake up call/motivational spiritual experience. Then after thinking about how much it would suck to have to go home early we wrote down what we would like to say about our missions. It was awesome. The atonement makes everything possible!! Also had exchanges and that was awesome. Things I learned: Repentance is the Plan!!! It is not the back up plan!!! Wow. So cool. Also there was something else....but um, I promise I wrote it down in my journal. Hahaha. Anyway. Exchanges are awesome. The mission is awesome. The elders were early for a dinner appointment in our area, knocked a door, got let in, got us a return appointment, and we went and taught her family and she is awesome!!!! miracles!!!! I love the mission. It's hard, you have to keep moving through, no matter if you don't have people, or don't feel inspired or anything, just keep going! :) it's all good.

Sunday Fun Stuff

So this week was good. We had zone conference and that was Great!! As
always. I love meetings like that-just missionary meetings, because
you know that it's super inspired and what you need to hear. President
and Sister Jardine did the first training in finding and that was so
good. We've been trying to do a lot of finding in our area recently
because we have no investigators. But sometimes after days full of
just finding for weeks in a row....eh, you lose the perspective of
what you're doing. But the training super helped. Sister Jardine
shared a story of a kid that got lost at scout camp back in utah and
the reaction and the effort put into finding this one person and how
long it took etc. The Urgency of the situation was so real. And we
need to have that same urgency now. These people who are waiting for
us, are literally just waiting on us. We are the ones who are lost who
don't know where they are. It was just good to be reminded, that there
is a proper way of finding and that it is an urgent matter. It was
good. Then the APs did a training on the Book of Mormon, and that was
awesome. Because they just kind of called us out for sliding into the
pattern of just handing out pamphlets and jesus cards. Sure those
things are good tools, but the Book of Mormon. HELLO. It got us all
excited. The question one if them asked was How would Joseph Smith
feel about how you are using the Book of Mormon in your proselyting
efforts? So yeah. He gave everything for that book, and you aren't
even using it. You leave it in the car, or in your bag. So they
challenged us to always carry one in our hands whenever we leave the
apartment. And we've had some cool miracles. Right when we got home a
few hours later we checked the mail, BoM in hand haha, and a lady
who's sister is a member recognized us and talked to us for a while.
It's such a nice break to be contacted by someone else instead of
having to initiate yourself haha.

Anyway the last part of the training Pres talked to us about Charity.
And it was so good. He's the bomb. I love him. I want to be as awesome
as him someday.

And the rest of our week was good. Haha, we had a creepy member give
us a watermelon, and he talked to us for a while, and then he tried to
tell us his story about moving to america and I was like SORRY (not
sorry) we have an appointment and we'll be late, maybe next time, and
we left and got outta there stat. Haha #newyorkdrivingskills.

And zone morning glory killed us. We had it twice this week and it
made us so tired haha.

There's half the watermelon which I ate all by myself and then dumped
all the juice onto our couch while taking that picture. 

That's all the hermanas.

And I got my bike!!! Yay!!!!

Love you all!!!!

Learning Stuff

So this week we finished our area book!!! As the first iPad generation
in the mish we had to enter in all the people from the area book into
the ipads and it takes muchisimo tiempo. Like hours. Everyday.
Basically we only went out for an hour or two every day last week. And
not getting out wears on ya! But we finished, so todo està bien. I
have hardcore typing on ipad skills now haha, but thank goodness for
church couches and wifi that enable dictation instead of typing. I did
like 20 pages of potentials. Fronts and back. I did a whole area book
by myself actually-I'm pretty proud, not gonna lie. I feel really
accomplished. So once we finished-with the help of some other Awesome
sisters in the zone-we started helping out the spanish elders. They're
my favorite, I may be a little biased, but spanish elders are just
cooler than english hahaha, but english sisters, I kind of miss living
with them. I think sometimes they're a little chiller. I guess I only
hear about the spanish drama though. It's whatevs. I am drama free,
just so y'all know ;) I am super chill. I am as chill as a Hawaiian. I
have been told so by my last Hawaiian companion hahaha. But Sister
Burke is awesome! Things are way better with her I think. I like
companions. They're cool. We have them for a reason, and it's a
bigger, better reason than just to keep us out of trouble and staying
obedient and sturf, it's more than that, so that's cool. Look, I'm
learning things!! Haha

So we got out for a while and picked a street to visit and check out
some potentials, and we talked to us sweet old mexican man named Jose.
He's been here 20 years, and all his family is still back in Mexico.
That happens a lot. I don't quite understand how or why, but it's sad.
Then we knocked on a mexican looking door, just the storm door, and a
Guy yelled and was all "yeah, whaddya need?" And so I was said uh hi
we're the missionaries in this area, do you know anyone who speaks
spanish? I couldn't even see him or anything inside, it was super
awkward amd funny. I hate those doors. And then he got up and was all
"spanish? I speak spanish! You speak spanish??" And we were like yeah
haha us gueras yeah we speak spanish, and then we totally had a lesson
with him, it was sweet. He was funny. We didn't get a return
appointment, but he said we could come back. Then we knocked on a
super mexi door-virgin marias por todos lados, and a teenage girl
answered and we had an awesome talk about life after death and faith
in christ and repentance, and it was way cool. She gave us her number,
and again no return appt, but we could call or text and set something
up. But then she asked us to pray for her uncle who has cancer, so
that was cool. We've been doing that. Then we went back and we walked
by Jose's house and he gave us water and soda haha. That was probably
the best part of the week. And there was even an awesome sunset.

Sunday was good. The branch rocks. But after Satan was the worst-as
usual haha. We went to a dinner appt and something was off. It was
with members, but we just did not feel good after we left. Like we had
a nice lesson, and their daughter taught our resto lesson for us-she's
like 8/9 and knew the story better than anyone else I've heard so that
was awesome, but we still felt just Bad afterwards. So we went to go
contact someone we met earlier in the week. And I was trying to be all
focused on our purpose, talk to everyone. Sometimes it's hard because
some people are obviously not spanish speaking and I'm like ehhh your
salvation isn't quite in my hands hahaha but so there was this guy-not
spanish-and I was like Let's Get Him!! Went over, he wasn't interested
so we just chatted a little, asked him about his work. He's basically
Satan's #1 tool. He shoots pornos and is a software designer, he'd
actually just came from a shoot, fancy that, and was excited that some
kind of new head set thing had just come out for video games. I was
getting furious, but we gave him a card. He said he would look up the
video. Said thanks for talking, and he said have a nice day, you
ladies are really beautiful. I felt like stabbing satan in the eyes.
How dare he. I was mad. And the spirit, se fue. It was like running
into giant bombs of anti spirit anti holiness. So we were wrecks
basically after that. Went to the chapel, sang some songs, the STLs
were actually there for a lesson so we had a little talk, didn't
really explain everything, but they got it. It was good.

So yeah, that was my week, the worst parts of the mission aren't when
it's like hard work/area/companion. But it's when the spirit gets
taken from you, or is at least attacked like that. When you lose it
yourself, you can only blame yourself, and it's cool. But that was
horrible, anyway, life goes on! Hopefully we'll find some solid people
this week. Love you!! And here's some pics to prove I'm alive haha :p

May You Build a Ladder to the Stars

So I'm in a new area with a new comp, we're shotgunning/whitewashing whatever you want to call it. We have 2? new investigators-so not very solid-and no gps, and it's tough, but not impossible.

My new branch who have been asking for hermanas ;) my mission leader is awesome and he is the man next to us, but the one wearing a tie. Totally cool. And President Hirst is on the other end, the one in a gold tie. It was their one year anniversary of being made a branch-they used to be a ward with my first branch in Rancho Cordova :) 

Our area out by our mission leader's house

Transferred Again!!!

So this week was awesome. Basically the Lord is amazing and knows
everything and so yeah. :)

Primero, let's start off with Elder Bowden's inspired goal of
contacting 350 people as a district this past week. It was awesome. We
contacted like 30 people in one day once while still having planned
member present lessons and dinner with members too. SO COOL. PERO, In
an effort to be cool and get out more on the streets we went biking!!!
Which rocked!!! I love it so much!!!! We went biking Thursday-awesome.
Went biking friday, went to our appointment, fell through, went to
contact this lady at her apartment, left our bikes like 10 feet
away-we had to walk up stairs to talk to the lady and we had a great
lesson, and I'm praying to close, and during the prayer I'm kind of
thinking mmm the bikes....close the prayer, saying goodbye to the lady
and she's like Oh Oh!! Turn around this chick is on my bike,
so I book it down and chase her but she had already gotten a head
start. So yeah. My bike. Got stolen. Second day. At like 8:15 at night
in a sketchy part of town. Bikeless. Hahaha, it was the bomb. I yelled
after her HEY are you joking?? Are you kidding me?? Really we all kind
of felt bad after. Like she had a bad feeling, she just laughed so
loud and it was like eerghh gross. Zero spirit.

But yeah, having your bike get stolen is a great conversation starter,
and people believe you because you have your helmet to prove it and
the other people with you are holding tight onto their bikes hahahah.
So I still need to call ctr....Elder Bowden said they should probs
give me a new one if I tell them my sob story. You sent me a bike with
a thrashed inner tube, i fixed it, then it got stolen while I was
praying. Give me a bike.


Arandi came to the baptism on Saturday and that was so cool. She totally
felt the spirit and she wants it. She said August 29 sounded close
and I was like NO!, haha in a nice way to invite the spirit and just
testified of how the spirit will help you prepare as you keep the
commitments we give you and the spirit will be there for you all the
time after. It was cool.

Then that night we got transfer calls and we all got together as a
zone and found out who's staying or leaving and Hna Kaaa is
training!!!!! Yayy!!!!! My awesome comp is training!!! She'll be so
awesome. And Elder Speakman who just finished his second transfer is
training too!!!!! He's the bomb, I love the mission. Everything is so
inspired all the time haha.

Sunday was good, took pics with everyone, Arandi came to church <3 and
after we talked with her parents and everything is good :) So that's a
relief, and oh yeah, we're all leaving!! Hna Kaaa is staying close by
though, still in the zone, diff area. But yeah it was sad. We're
leaving everyone.

Sunday night we took a zone pic and our district sang Para Siempre
Dios Est Con Vos for Elder Bowden since he's dying on Wednesday!! Wow.
So that was awesome, and then we packed like crazy.

Monday we went to the mission office at 11, and they announce your
area and your comp on the projector screen thing in the chapel so
that's cool. I'm with Hna Burke who was just ET-ed out of East Sac to
Rancho, and we're shotgunning/whitewashing into Elk Grove, which is
north of Rancho? Idk hahaha. So the elders were covering their half of
the stake and the other half last transfer? So they're happy to have
us, and they said the branch has been asking for sisters too hahaha.
So we have no area book yet #ipad probs, and they didn't update the
area book much for our half-it sounds like all they did was drive
around last transfer, which is frustrating, I feel for them. But I'm
excited to come to it and Do Work!!! Yeah!!! Hahaha

So that's all for now :)

                              

Even More Miracles

This week was so great. Even more miracles. I don't really remember what happens every week--sorry if I repeat things. Also my English is slipping away hahah so it's whatevs.

We had 9 member presents this week!! Do you know how awesome that is!! SUPER AWESOME hahaha it made such a difference. Huge.

Also we set a goal as a district last thursday to contact 350 people by next Friday and it's the coolest thing ever. I love it. I love talking to people, even though testifying in English is getting harder and more awkward since Spanish comes first now in gospel situations hahaha, it's kinda funny. I literally have to choose every word in English when it's anything Gospely mas o menos. If it's just normal English- secular hahaha- then it's fine, English is number 1. But for church stuff, Spanish is usually what comes out first, it doesn't always sound good hahaha, but it's definitely not English. 

So Arandi is on date and that is the coolest thing in the whole wide world. She's our 14 year old coolest person in the world haha. 

Transfers are coming up next week, so we'll see what happens, I'll probably just stay put. Haha, which is cool. There really aren't than many options left for Spanish sisters in the mission haha, we're so tiny now, and so yeah. haha, whatevs. It's cool. A ver.

We fasted this last Sunday as a zone and that was awesome. It was just a fast of gratefulness for all the success we've been having and all the blessings we've seen and it just felt good. That was probably one of my best fasts ever. For real. It just felt good. Didn't even get a headache hahaha, granted we broke it early because we ate with a member, but it felt good to feel good the whole time, and to stay focused and not get off track or be grumpy or whatever.

Also haha, I've been singing my companions to sleep every night and it's just cute. They're so sweet. I hope they don't mind Bob Dylan, the Lumineers, or Hymns in random keys.

  

Love you all! Every one read your scriptures and pray all the time!! And hey if you're not a member (Susan, Kelsey, Diana shout out) please tell Dilon Dickerson I found the Mormon version of him from Canada and it's the coolest/weirdest thing. I'm not allowed to hug him, so I don't know how authentic the twin level is, but it's pretty close)  And also invite the missionaries over, just go to the mormon church next Sunday haha, and talk to them and set up at least one appointment with them. Just so you know how awkward and awesome my life is on a daily basis hahaha. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

la semana milagrosa! I made up that adjective, I hope it's real haha

Anyway, lots of miracles this week is what I'm trying to say haha

The other spanish Hermanas had a baptism this weekend and that was so amazing!! we did a special musical number and I got ot play the guitar, so that was awesome, basically the best part of the service...hahah no, the baptism was awesome. He just lit up afterwards, and when he came out afterwards he did a little leap and shout for joy. The gospel is real. It should make everyone feel like that. And the week before that- I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, our district leader had a baptism, and that was awesome as well. Baptisms are the BEST!!

So anyway, we were thinking in our trio, because sure teaching and stuff is great, but we want baptisms, that's our new standards of excellence, Find, Teach, Baptize. And so after zone training and starting planning on the iPads we've tried to focus in our companionship on the spirit and committing to do the small and simple things that bring blessings, and we've been working really hard at talking to everyone and trying to follow the spirit, and this week was the coolest.

We went to find this woman the elders who had our area before had met, and she answered the door, but was like " hola, espera." so she just said, hi. wait. and then left and brought her 14 year old daughter to the door. And we were like well uh ok. Btu turns out this girl had been given a book of mormon by the elders about a month ago, AND SHE READ THE WHOLE THING!!! And we set up a return appt with her and she freaking rocks!! She accepted baptism and she says that this book feels different and she can really vizualize everything it says, it's so deep, and it's just amazing. She says she feels warm when she prays, and that she's seen too many signs to deny that God knows who she is. IT's totally awesome to have the Lord just give you someone who is so ready. Hopefully we can start teaching the rest of her family soon. She's coming to church next week hopefully too :) :) :) SO EXCITED

Then we added another family the elders had found before, but they'd had trouble teaching them because the husband wasn't alwasys there so they couldn't go in., But we're sisters, so hopefully thigns will work out better this time.

We've also seen a lot of progression in a part member family. The sister who is not baptized, has a brother who is super active recent convert, and also his wife. And then her own husband was baptized a few months ago, so she just told us about how much he's changed, and how she has changed towards the missionaries, and she wants to get baptized, but she wants to change first. So hopefully she'll understand when we teach that baptism is what helps you achieve that change, and she doesn't have to keep waiting. It's just cool.

WE added 5 investigators this week, so that just makes us feel good haha. Hopefully we can keep them all and get them progressing. We've also been able to send a lot of referrals recently, so that just feels like good karma hahahah, it's got ot come back to us sometime, haha it' already has. That girl - her nickname is Andy- is the coolest. Teaching teenagers is actually really fun. I like it a lot.

Mkay, that's all mas o menos

LOVE YOU!!!

Hermana Nube