I'm Running Out of Clever Things to Put in the Subject Line

I just realized that the majority of my recent emails have been cool insights and spiritual thoughts, that I haven't given you much of an update on how things have been here lately. haha

SO! Here are some general updates about my mission:

1. The last three months, all of our mission-wide trainings have been focused on teaching effectively from the pamphlets. We just dedicated a whole month on learning to teach the Restoration, Plan of Salvation and Gospel of Jesus Christ from the pamphlets. That's been a big focus.

2. We have never tracted in my mission. It's just not something we do! But in the last few months (along with the pamphlet focus) We were all trained on how to tract! So we go tracting a lot now. I actually think it's pretty fun.

3. Elder Struve is the most obedient companion I've ever had. :) I'm so happy he's my trainee. He's just super willing to take correction and wants nothing more than to be consecrated. :) We've had a great couple of transfers together.

4. They're changing the amount of time that english speakers spend in the MTC, and as a result, the last couple transfers have been unusual. typically, each transfer is 6 weeks long, but we just had a 7-week transfer and a 3-week transfer back to back. From here on out, it should be all back to normal.

Sooo... I guess you're up to date on all the big stuff now.

in other news:

TRANSFER CALLS CAME IN!

I'm spending a third transfer with Elder Struve! :) Usually, you're only with your trainee for 12 weeks, but since the last 2 transfers have been weird, we've only been together 10 weeks, so we'll probably spend one more together and then get separated. Just a prediction. I wouldn't mind just having him forever, it's been smooth sailing. We are planning on spending the next 6 weeks together at least, but then I'll be in my final transfer after that, so who knows what'll happen.

This week in our area was a little rougher. From Monday to Wednesday we had 9 set appointments scheduled, but EIGHT of them didn't answer the door. That's pretty common, but not to that extent. When that happens in our area, it's like the end of the world because traveling takes hours because we ride the bus everywhere... So we did a lot of travels. BUT! We did see this miracle where a stranger offered us pizza in the street, and we declined but kept talking to him. We ended up getting an address and he agreed to let us share a message with him the following day. We show up and he and his wife invited us in for DINNER! :) We ate with these 2 super nice new investigators and invited them to attend a baptism the following day and happily agreed to spend 45 minutes on the bus in order to attend a baptism at an unfamiliar church for a person they've never met. THEY'RE AWESOME. We're seeing them tonight.

Pictures are my favorite thing to get in emails, but I didn't get any this week. :( Even though my dear sister had a dance recital. Hmmph 😒 There is still time to repent! :)

Love you all!

Grrrrreat!

Sometimes I feel like Tony the Tiger, because every week I always just say this week was Grrrrrrreat!

But yup, another great week this week:

I was doing a study about being Consecrated this week and I read a part of a talk that said that we must give up our own personal desires and do what the Lord would have you do.

Previously I had interpreted that as: "We must give up our unrighteous desires and follow the Lord."

Which is good! as a missionary, we do give up our desires to see movies, and sleep in, and swim, and hang out, and we choose to do missionary work instead! That is a great start. BUT that does not mean you are consecrated.

To be Consecrated, we must not only give up our unrighteous desires, but ALL of our desires. Even our Righteous ones. (Let me explain...)

So, Lehi, in the Book of Mormon is a good example of this.

He was commanded to leave the wicked Jerusalem and travel with his family to uncharted territory.

What if he had decided to stay there in Jerusalem and just invite the people to repentance instead? That would be a very righteous desire... BUT it was NOT the will of God. For him to be truly consecrated to the Lord, he would need to obey the commandments and the promptings of the spirit regardless of his own desires.

That can be applied to a lot of different things. Think about that if you'd like.

Also, good news! Remember Yera? The girl I baptized in Oakland? Well... She has family here in San Francisco, and she just gave us a referral the other day, and now were teaching her cousins!! A family of 5! :) We've been looking for families for the longest time, and though we didn't find one from our own schemes, I think the Lord has seen our efforts and decided it was time to lead us to this new family.

Our area is really picking up!

Love you all!

This is my current district. Elder Wride=District Leader... Sorrry, My comp got cut out of the picture... :/

A member gave me this sweet jacket this week. #best members.

Josafat (bottom) and Brother Bonilla (top)

They're some of my favorite members

I Love Conference :')

Up to this point in my life, this has been my all-time favorite General Conference. Like, I had trouble sleeping on Friday night because I was so excited for conference. And I spend like 3 hours last week studying ways to receive inspiration in preparation for this General Conference. I blocked off 5 pages in my study journal (one page for each session+priesthood) so that it would give my notes a little bit of order, but I ended up taking up 14 pages by the end of it all. Seriously, so good.

Here are a couple of my favorite parts:

1. Did anyone notice how quickly Elder Holland brought the spirit by expressing his love for us? Simply telling us how much he cares about us helped me feel the spirit quicker and stronger than any other talk.

2. Elder Uchtdorf taught in the Priesthood session about "Search and Ye Shall Find" as it applies to marriage. If you are constantly looking for negative qualities, that's what you will find. On the converse, as we look for the good in others, those are the attributes that will be most prominent in our spouse. Search, and Ye Shall Find

3. Jesus Christ was the perfect example of "Leader" AND "Follower". I personally have had many opportunities to both lead AND follow in my mission. It's always good to work on your leadership skills, but it's equally important to be a good follower. As we follow the example of Jesus Christ, we can improve in both.

4. The General Relief Society President taught about the difference between knowing something, and believing it. I thought about how many times I've recited the first vision. I KNOW the first vision. I've studied it. I know where to find it in the restoration pamphlet, and in Joseph Smith History, I can say it word for word in 2 languages. I can use it in context. I KNOW it! But knowing it is not enough. For it to have any lasting effect, I must also believe it. And the way to believe it is through prayer, and by gaining a personal testimony through the Holy Ghost. **along similar lines, the spirit testifies of TRUTH. If you were to stand up at the pulpit and state that you know the Book of Mormon is true, you better believe it. other wise, the spirit will not bare witness of that statement. There is no use baring testimony of something you haven't received a witness for.

5. My future wife will stay late to pick up chairs after general conference without a direct invitation.

6. I like the idea of a family council. It made me think of all of the effective councils I've been a part of in my mission, and how simple they are to throw together, but how much it helps us as missionaries be unified and feel the spirit. I can't imagine the applications it can have on a family.

7. Language is best learned in immersion programs. From experience, I know that the more time you spend speaking and listening to Spanish, the easier it is to pick up on the complicated grammar patterns and less frequently used words. You just become more familiar with how the language works. In Conference, they taught us that recognizing the spirit works the same way, and if we could turn our home into an immersion program to help children know how to understand the spirit by helping them feel it more often around the house, they would be more apt to making good choices as they move out. (Side note, missions are kind of like a spiritual immersion in a sense, and I know a lot more about following spiritual promptings based on my mission experiences.)

I don't have my study journal with me today, but these are a few of the big ones that called my attention. I'd be happy to hear some of your insights!

Love you all (sincerely!)

Easter

This week was Easter, and my bishop gave us each a cute little Easter basket filled with chocolates and fake grass. which led to him saying "What's Easter without Grass?" which was the header of that first email.

We went to Porque yo Creo yesterday and we had one of our members bare testimony at it, which was great. He did a great job, and his conversion story involves gangs and drugs and now hes an awesome member that comes out to lessons with us all the time. It was a good story.

Sad news is that a lot of the mothers we found a couple weeks ago are now Formers. We dropped a few of them this week because they weren't that interested, but we are still holding on to Sonia Rivas! :) We have high hopes for her.

I had exchanges this week with Elder Wride, my former companion, and that was awesome to see how much we've both changed. It was great to catch up with him and I was happy to work with him. We taught two whole lessons with people just by talking to them in the streets. Good stuff.

Yeah, so this week really wasn't all that exciting. haha Like, my happiness level is still pretty high, but I can't think of much going on. I'm still a missionary, I'm still walking around spreading the gospel, and it's still good times.

Here are some pictures, because pictures=1000 words.

This is our district! :) Elder Wride, Elder Galaz, Elder Struve, ME, Sister Myers, Sister Gogarty, Sister Abernethy, Sister Vargas

This is the extent of my cooking. Some days I feel like making a BBQ chicken meal with my companion, and some days I throw macaroni and raman into the same pot and call it a meal.

Today's District activity.