Well its Monday again

May 7, 2012 Well...It has been a week. Haha Weeks go by WAY too fast. I am with my companion again (I just love her to pieces), Hna Vasquez. She never fails to make me laugh. She just said that you all are going to think she is a clown. Haha oh man...ANYWAY... So I guess first things first is orders of business....I can call home around 5 oclock on Mothers day. That will be the best time for my companions family (and they are all the way in honduras) So that will work out. Whoever can be there that would be great and whoever cant will be missed BUT itll all be good. Sooo we had transfer meeting this week (that is the meeting we have the first day of ever transfer and all the missionaries who are changing come to Ventura and the missionaries who are leaving bare their testimonies and the new missionaries get their trainers. President usually says a few words...we get to sing the mission song which is my FAVORITE, #41 let Zion in her beauty rise). They never cease to be inspiring, this transfer President left a blessing upon us that if we would go back to our new zone of proselyting with a renewed energy to do this work and that we would be successful. He also talked about how when we obey commandments we directly get the blessings and he invited us to really obey the commandments that we would like to see the blessings of. Its been a great week! On Monday we had this awesome miracle when we took the new sisters out for their first "declaring" experience. First one we saw the fruits immediatley...so we were about to go back to the mission home and we saw this lady sitting at the bus stop so we stopped and talked to her. She was really struggling the drug abuse and we promised her that if she read the Book of Mormon when she had a craving she would be able to stop. She was so excited and filled with joy. She lived in a different town near by so we got her information so the missionaries could visit her and she wanted them to come over that night! It was so cool. The second one we saw the fruits the day after. So we met this guy Cameron walking down the street and we started talking to him about the restored gospel and the Book of Mormon. Finally he said, Im really sorry sisters but Im already meeting with........SOME ELDERS. Haha. We were like OH..ok. We found out which Elders they were (our zone leaders), but then felt impressed to read in the introduction of the Book of Mormon with him and ask him if he knew it was true. He said yes! We committed him to be baptized and he accepted. We called the Elders that night to tell them about it and they said they had recently dropped him because he wasnt really progressing. Well the next day we get a phone call from them telling us that they followed up with him and were able to set him with a baptismal date and they said he was never willing to do that before. A huge part of it I think was one of the new missionaries is straight from Samoa and doesnt know much english and is a convert and she bore a powerful testimony. It was SO awesome. We met a really great couple...well they are kind of funny and have a billion questions but they are interested and are keeping committments. After we met them she said that she wanted to cancel but he wanted to hear us out. We had met them and taught them the Restoration the first time we met them and then we came back and taught the plan of salvation. They have really great questions but are really nervous that they are going to get brain washed. Its really funny and cute. She had some bad experiences with members of our church growing up and I am SO grateful that we are able to talk to her abut those things and get them straightened out. Im really excited about him. Ok another miracle...I dont know if I told you about this a while ago but when I was in Newbury Park...well actually the full story would be better to share in person because its kind of sacred. BUT we really started teaching this investigator Marcos that Sister Dalton and myself started teaching he came to the cinco de mayo party the branch put on (it was SO amazing) and then came to church the next day. He is planning on helping the members with a mother day activity this week. He is so great and the branch has been so good at fellowshipping him. We have such an amazing branch! Which is so great because member fellowship is so important, if these new members dont feel part of the ward family it is really hard for them. We saw Claire again (the lady who we knocked on her door when she was praying to find Jesus) and left for London on Sunday but we committed her to be baptized in London and we exchanged information. Im really excited for her. Hermano Evangelista is SO great. Wow. We taught him the Word of Wisdom last week and he has problems with coffee and seemed iffy on wanting to quit but we came back this week and he started drinking things like hot chocolate instead and he told us at church this week that he hasnt drank coffee at all!!!!!!! You can just see the light in people's faces when they are keeping committments and really repenting. They are preparing to make covenants with God which we know will purify us! Kristen is also moving along. We have had some really spiritual lessons with her and she really wants to get baptized she has some serious fears about going to church and water but I know she can work through them. I can see her pushing through her fears every day. She is such a great and strong woman and I love teaching her. We really just need to help her become more consistent. I love being a missionary. It is really so great. You would think by this time of my mission I would have spanish down perfectly and I would know exactly how to teach but its not true. I stll have so much that I could learn and Im really striving to learn more spanish and learn how to be a better teacher. It is super humbling to know that I will never have this totally figured out but thats ok! We have to cut our pday short again today so we can have a meeting with President and Sister Castro and plan for sisters conference which we will have this month!I love the Castro's sooooooo much! It is going to be a busy month! P.s. Mom yes I would like to visit the mission after. But we dont have to. We can talk about it laterrrrrr. Ive got lots of time here still. Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hermana Tippetts